Minnesotans band together to get through March blizzard
The word of the day Sunday in southern Minnesota was "challenging," with snow conditions making roads difficult to navigate.
In the early morning hours, when the snow was falling the fastest, Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesperson Mike Dougherty said that up to four plows ended up in temporary trouble, requiring help from other trucks to get back on the road.
"There were times there with the snow rate and snow visibility that it was really challenging," Dougherty said.
By about 3 p.m., MnDOT closed Interstate 35 south of Albert Lea in coordination with the State of Iowa, which shut down its portion of the interstate starting at the Minnesota border.
Beyond that closure, as of Sunday evening, other highways remained open. Dougherty said that this is subject to change based on variables related to strong winds, which could reduce visibility or otherwise complicate highway travel.
In Owatonna, the local roads weren't much easier to navigate on Sunday after sunrise. WCCO was there to capture total strangers helping each other after a sedan got stuck on the I-35 off-ramp into town. Two truckers who said they were from Ukraine were the first to stop, shoveling snow in front of the car and giving a much-needed push.
When that wasn't enough, Owatonna neighbor Michael Falvey had just the fix. He arrived with the know-how and equipment to tow the sedan clear of the heavy snow that had accumulated on the ramp.
"That took five minutes," Falvey said. "I made their day, hopefully."
It was clear he did, with the drivers telling him they had first gotten stuck at about 5 a.m. The rescuers didn't arrive until about 9 a.m.
Steele County activated members of the Minnesota National Guard brought in to the Owatonna Armory at about that same time. Guard members hit the road in what's known as a Small Unit Support Vehicle (SUSV), designed to easily navigate snow and ice. With about a foot on the ground in some spots, that kind of gear was a necessity, launching to at least one rescue mission Sunday morning.
By mid-day, Steele County had tracked at least 10 reports of stalled cars, according to Kristen Sailer, director of the Steele County Emergency Management. According to the county's highway department, their crews were responsible for the mileage equivalent of a drive from Owatonna to Chicago and back.
"It's a mess out there," Sailer said.
In Allendale, about 25 people were already making use of the local shelter.
But on a day of extremes, others found a way to maintain their original plans. That includes bowlers in Owatonna Sunday for the state bowling tournament, which went on as planned.
