Neighbors pitch in to help stranded motorists
MOSES LAKE — Things got windy and dangerous on roads throughout Grant County Tuesday evening and into Wednesday morning. There were no serious traffic related injuries, however, despite the Grant County Sheriff’s Office responding to help more than 40 motorists who got stuck in snow drifts.
Tuesday night and Wednesday morning’s weather event saw wind gusts reach over 30 mph around the county, causing large snow drifts and spots of limited visibility on county roads. The Grant County Sheriff’s Motor Traffic Unit advised against any travel on east-to-west roadways because of the weather.
As winds started to pick up on Tuesday roads such as Road 9 Northwest between Road E Northwest and state Route 281, a 12-mile stretch that runs east-to-west from Ephrata to Quincy, were all but inaccessible due to blowing and drifting snow creating zero visibility. County roads were not closed off with barricades, due to the large number of roads affected, and the sheriff’s office urged drivers to only travel if it was absolutely necessary.
Some motorists did venture out and got caught up in the large snow drifts, which in some areas around the county were 3-5 feet high.
“There are just too many roads impacted to even begin to describe the impact areas. Motorists who attempted to drive overnight and who tried to drive this morning (Wednesday) are getting stuck in snow drifts,” stated the sheriff’s office Wednesday morning.
Because of the high number of calls requesting help Wednesday morning, deputies had to prioritize the calls in terms of seriousness. The sheriff’s office responded to more than 40 calls from motorists getting stuck in snow drifts on county roads, none of which resulted in serious injuries. Locations hit the hardest were in the rural areas around Quincy, George, Moses Lake, Ephrata, Soap Lake, Wilson Creek, Mattawa and Wilson Creek.
“Once the motorists were rescued and taken to safety, we had to wait for their vehicles to be towed out before plows could begin removing snow,” the sheriff’s office said. “Deputies credit local farmers and others who jumped into action to help clear roads and cars, as well as help remove snow from driveways so citizens could get out safely. That was a big help.”
The weather prompted the shutdown of several schools districts, as well as Grant County District Court, with all court hearings, including a jury trial, canceled and jurors told not to report on Wednesday.
Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.
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