Storm wreaks more havoc on area roads
By Rae KrugerArticle Photos
This was a storm that stopped semis.
The Alberta Clipper that blew through the area Wednesday and Thursday brought a few inches of snow and high winds. Gusts of about 40 mph were reported by state officials as well as several inches of snow. The combination of both caused a semi tractor to overturn on Lyon County Road 5 near Ghent, two semis to get stuck side by side on U.S. Highway 14 near Florence, and stopped at least two semis on U.S. Highway 59 south of Marshall Thursday, county and state officials said.
The storm was also strong enough to stop snow plows.
Lincoln County highway foreman Don Scholten said county road crews didn't venture out into the storm Thursday.
"We did not go out into the country today yet," Scholten said Thursday afternoon. "We did the municipal routes," he said, but plows were waiting for the wind to die down before going further.
"The snow is blowing in faster than we can get it out," Scholten said.
State and other county blows did venture out during the day but fought high winds which caused drifts and vehicles which had gotten stuck in the snow on the road.
The amount of stuck vehicles on U.S. Highway 14 west from Garvin Corner or the intersection with U.S.Highway 59 to Tracy caused the state to close that section of the highway, Craig Gertsema of the Marshall Minnesota Department of Transportation office said Thursday.
Gertsema said travel was not recommended, partly because visibility was dangerously low outside of towns.
"You can lose the roads and drive right into the ditch," Gertsema said.
Law enforcement dispatch reported at about 5 p.m. Thursday a vehicle had gotten stuck on Minnesota Highway 19 near Vesta, followed a snowplow into Redwood Falls and those in the vehicle were told not to travel any more. Later, however, they left Redwood Falls and on the way back toward Marshall got stuck in the same spot.
Law enforcement dispatch said a semi had nearly struck that vehicle and gotten stuck while avoiding the vehicle.
Law enforcement and MnDOT dispatch were busy all day with motorists who had gotten stuck on roads or ran into the ditch.
Some folks stayed home Thursday or used transportation other than a vehicle to get around.
"We had a couple people come in on snowmobiles," Bill Tiede of the John Deere dealership in Tyler said.
"Not many people have come in from the country," Chuck Dalager of Dalager's convenience store in Minneota said. "I don't think any of the county or township roads have been opened yet."
Many of those who went to the John Deere dealership in Tyler needed parts for snowblowers, Tiede said.
The dealership mostly served customers in need of weather-related equipment repairs.
"We had people with the snowblower parts they tore up today," Tiede said. "And people still gotta feed their livestock and everything else."
Some motels in the area were filled, in part, because of the storm.
Truckers who stopped in Tracy because of the storm stopped in the Tracy Area Food Pride for food and supplies before heading to their motel rooms, store employee Lori Alf said.
Thursday was a busy day for the store, Alf said.
"It's mostly people from in town and people that are stuck on the highway," Alf said.
Some area businesses took advantage of what was a slow day. John Full of Marcotte Jewelry in Marshall did repairs, did year-end close-out work and other work to stay busy.
"It's a good catch up day," Full said.
Jim Munson of Cottonwood Grocery said most folks stocked up Wednesday, so he spent down times Thursday doing inventory.
But with technology some business went on as usual, such as at First Independent Bank in Marshall.
"In the lending department a lot of work can be done by phone, fax and email, so it's business as usual," Laurel Steen said. "We've had a decrease in people who come into the lobby and drive through."
Staff writer Deb Gau contributed to this story
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mtndew
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01-09-10 9:13 AM
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Levelheaded....gotcha! :-)
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levelheaded
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01-09-10 6:43 AM
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I was agreeing with you mtndew! You said it right on BOTH times!
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mtndew
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01-08-10 9:20 PM
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Levelheaded....when an employer is upset because some employees did not come to work on Thursday, that means they are thinking of themselves and not the safety of the employee. These people didn't even live in Marshall, they lived in the country and neighboring towns. I wish they were put in their shoes just once to see how bad these roads can be. Also when they advise no travel why should you venture out? We all need to get to our jobs but when it comes to risking our lives with bad weather, sometimes you just need to stay put.
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unbornsrights
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01-08-10 5:45 PM
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Good question, Vegas. . . suppose he might've frozen somewhere? Could we be so lucky?
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Lasvegas7
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01-08-10 4:09 PM
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Do you think the homeless child molester is still a threat?
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merioncooper
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01-08-10 2:05 PM
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Also agree Les, no one should be on the roads unless they absolutely need to be. It is common sense, and when the city announces it is pulling the plows at 4 p.m., anyone who goes out after that is only being dumb or arrogant.
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merioncooper
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01-08-10 2:04 PM
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Agreed, mtndew. With about half of Marshall's employees commuting from other towns (where they can afford to live, thanks to the below-average pay of most Marshall employers), the bosses should understand that safety is imperative. They want their workers on the job in a blizzard? Then pay for their hotel, or pay them enough to live in Marshall.
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CareLes
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01-08-10 12:43 PM
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I would like to know why all the senior citizens need to go driving around during a storm. Gotta git up to Mike's and b!tch about the bad roads! Les
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levelheaded
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01-08-10 12:38 PM
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here here mtndew
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mtndew
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01-08-10 12:11 PM
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Those of you that stayed home due to the weather, good for you! Those employers who were upset because employees could not get into work, you need to think safety first and not think of YOURSELF!
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