Most highways in Manitoba have now reopened after blizzard conditions led to closures for much of Tuesday, causing more than 100 drivers to be stranded for hours on the Perimeter Highway.
The Perimeter was shut down just after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning and finally reopened just after 9 p.m.
RCMP Sgt. Mark Hume told 680 CJOB that a combination of blowing snow and icy roads meant drivers couldn’t get anywhere.
“The guys that were on the Perimeter said the snow drifts were literally higher than the police vehicles — just massive ,drifting everywhere, on top of the ice — that’s why everybody was actually stuck,” said Hume.
“It wasn’t just the ice conditions, it was the massive drifts that were physically stopping the cars from getting through.”
Hume said police did what they could to check on drivers stuck in the blizzard and to make sure everyone was accounted for. The RCMP had snowmobiles at the ready if needed, as well as a city bus onsite for people to stay warm.
“As soon as people are stuck out there for a lengthy amount of time, we’re trying to get out there and do well-being checks and make sure people are doing OK,” he said.
“Realistically, we’re not going to abandon anybody and not check on them just because the roads are closed… but there’s a reality that the emergency services might not be able to get there to check on people.”
CAA Manitoba’s Heather Mack told 680 CJOB she hadn’t seen snow wreak this much havoc for drivers.
“It was difficult for our roadside team to even find a decent comparison,” she said, “because the last time we had similar amounts of snow we still didn’t see these kind of towing and winching requirements, especially on the Perimeter.
“We don’t normally see that, so it was very unusual.”
Mack said CAA rescued 428 Manitobans and responded to roughly 700 calls.
Global News reached out to other towing companies to see if their calls for service have skyrocketed, but most reported call volume had returned to normal.
Dr. Hook Towing Services, who teamed up with RCMP to tow cars from the Perimeter, said they average approximately 400 calls daily.
“These include boosts, a substantial amount of stuck calls and tows of course,” said Dr. Hook’s Colleen Roscoe Sass in a statement.
“Our wait times at peak cold and or snow can be upwards to 5-6 hours … our drivers have worked very hard in the cold and blizzard conditions tirelessly.
“If the weather persists we will stay busy well into February and possibly even March. This is the norm for us most winters.”
Michelin driving expert Carl Nadeau told 680 CJOB that drivers often make mistakes during whiteouts, which can lead to not only vehicles getting stranded, but also crashes and pileups on roads with little to no visibility.
“A whiteout is the worst situation. When it’s slippery, you can always adjust the speed, but when you can’t see, that’s the worst,” he said.
“When there’s a whiteout, people tend to get closer to the windshield, thinking they’re going to be able to see better in front of the car — but you’re just adding a problem to another problem, because as soon as your shoulder leaves the seat, unfortunately your driving is not as precise.
“Basically, you’re leaning on the steering wheel, so if you have to react at the last second, your body is not in a position to do it.”
Nadeau said putting on your hazard lights while driving slowly through a whiteout is a must, as is preparing before leaving the house during a storm — whether that means checking your tire pressure to making sure you have enough wiper fluid, and even making sure your car isn’t contributing to the lack of visibility.
“Before you leave home, make sure you’re not driving an igloo — remove the snow from your car. It’s just respect for other drivers.”
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