An extreme cold warning is blanketing the entire province of Alberta. The Lethbridge area could see wind chill values at -40 to -55C.
The Alberta Motor Association said a flood of roadside calls came in as the cold rolled across Alberta, five to six times the norm.
“In the last 24 hours alone we took 9,000 calls provincewide and that number is just growing,” said Jeff Kasbrick, vice president of Government & Stakeholder Relations at the AMA.
Lethbridge-area AMA crews are seeing a spike in calls as well, and Kasbrick asks for all callers to be patient as they work to assist those stranded in the cold.
“Right now we are looking at about three times our normal call volume in Lethbridge and that can result to upwards of a few hours wait.”
As some are hunkering down at home, avoiding the roads altogether, many students are still heading to school. The Lethbridge School Division is limiting outdoor learning and recesses until things warm up and encourages everyone to dress appropriately when heading to school.
For those old enough to get behind the wheel, AMA said if you do have to venture out in the cold, there are a few essential things you should do before you go:
-Fuel in your vehicle
-Have a plan in place
-Be patient
-Emergency kit
-Plug your vehicle in for at least four hours before you hit the road
Kasbrick said all calls are important, but high-risk situations are always a priority.
“We are doing all that we can to prioritize those that are in a high risk or high safety risk circumstance so we are trying to get to those calls as soon as we possibly can.”
He added the most up-to-date wait times in your area are available on the AMA website, but suggests if you don’t need to be out in the cold weather, stay home.