Snowstorm ushers chaos: stranded motorists, downed power lines and blocked roadways

Dec. 16—DICKINSON — Public works crews have been working frantically to assist stranded motorists, repair power lines and clear paths for emergency workers in southwest North Dakota as a winter storm continues to hammer the state.

A man traveling alone in his sedan had to spend all of Thursday night and much of Friday in his vehicle just north of Bowman after becoming trapped in a snow drift, Bowman County Sheriff Frank Eberle confirmed.

"He told me that he thought the roadways looked fine and then he came across those snow pillows, which drug him into the shoulder of the road and encapsulated his car," Eberle said. "Last night he had a full tank of fuel and I explained to him make sure you keep your exhaust clear."

The man, whose vehicle had Kansas plates, was dug out early Friday afternoon. Another traveler who got stuck on an overpass north of Bowman walked back to town, Eberle noted, highlighting the ongoing issues caused by motorists daring the conditions.

At least two crashes involving snow plows occurred this week, with Adams County Sheriff Jordan Fisher confirming that a crash on Wednesday led to minor injuries.

"There was a pickup truck hauling a flatbed trailer," he said. "So they were heading eastbound on Highway 12. We had a snow plow heading westbound on Highway 12 and, due to weather conditions, the pickup truck ended up hitting the snowplow head to head. There were no severe injuries."

A similar incident occurred in the City of Bowman on Friday morning when a snow plow struck an unoccupied, parked vehicle, Eberle said. Another crash involving a FedEx truck, semi-truck and a four-door sedan occurred in Bowman County Friday morning resulting in no injuries being reported.

Slope Electric Cooperative confirmed that sporadic power outages have occurred throughout the storm, many of them centralized in the Bowman and Rhame areas. Brooke Waltner, manager of member relations, stated in an email to The Dickinson Press that the ice and high winds were contributing factors.

"Our lineman are actively patrolling lines and working to restore power at this time," Waltner stated in her email. "We are grateful for their commitment to our members. It is a tough job and they work through some very tough conditions. We want to thank our members for their patience."

Montana-Dakota Utilities Company Spokesman Mark Hanson said an outage likely caused by icy power lines left more than 1,000 people in Hettinger County without power for about an hour on Thursday. Hettinger County Emergency Manager Tracy Kruger said she was unaware of any issues arising from the outage, but confirmed her agency was aware and had maintained an eye on the developing situation.

"It impacted MDU and Slope Electric, so the majority, if not all of the customers in Hettinger County, were impacted," Kruger confirmed.

Stark County Road Superintendent Al Heiser noted that there were power outages north of Dickinson and east of Richardton.

"We actually put a loader plow ahead of Roughrider Electric because there's power outages all over the place," Heiser said. "Time is of essence to get the power back on."

Ice accumulations on power lines along Highway 10 have caused many to break early on in the storm, Heiser confirmed.

"There actually was a bunch of power lines snapped off between Taylor and Richardton here a couple of days ago," Heiser said. "So we actually cleaned that up so they could get in and get that repaired."

A man who needed to be rescued east of Richardton on Thursday evening was wearing shorts and did not have shoes, Heiser said. He was one of several travelers stranded in the Richardton area.

"So then a deputy came out to pick these people up because we had no way to transport them all back and well, then the deputy gets stuck and runs into ditch," Heiser said. "So then we gotta turn around and go back to get the deputy out."

Heiser noted that plows were also dispatched to clear a path for at least two ambulances, adding that the plows were only operating for emergencies through parts of the storm as the constant calls for assistance claimed hours.

"It's a dangerous situation out there," Heiser said.

Although snow removal equipment was out "full force" Thursday, it had all blown back in by Friday morning, he said.

Vehicles became stuck on a bridge that the snow drifted over in Adams County Thursday evening, Fisher said.

"On Highway 22 South, mile marker six, there is a bridge and we had two vehicles that were stuck on the bridge in a snowdrift," Fisher said. "We were able to, with the help of the North Dakota DOT, we were able to get them removed and clear the bridge."

The bridge had again drifted in completely by Friday morning, he added. While on the phone with The Press, Fisher had to respond to another weather-related rescue Friday.

Bowman County Chief Deputy Jason Bullis transported nurses to the hospital during the storm, Eberle said.

"The roads being nearly impassable, he had quite a time making that happen, but he did it," Eberle said.

Semi trucks and other travelers, unable to continue on their journeys due to closed roads and dangerous conditions hunkered down in parking lots across the area. Stark County Sheriff Lt. Eldon Mehrer said the Cenex truck stop in Richardton was full of trucks, along with many in Dickinson. Several parked at the Henry Biesiot Activities Center as well Thursday evening.

Chief Deputy Dean Wyckoff of the Billings County Sheriff's Department said aside from assisting about a half dozen motorists that slid off roadways, officials hadn't responded to any accidents or incidents in the county.

Kruger said people in Hettinger County have also been heading the recommendations to stay put. County officials did not receive any calls for stranded motorists, she said.

Heiser expected snow removal to continue through the weekend and asked for county residents to have patience while they wait to be dug out.

"You know, we can't get to everybody at once," he said. "Somebody's gonna be first and somebody's gonna be last. It's just the way it is. We cover a lot of miles."

Kruger said people can stay safe by preparing for inclement weather before it begins.

"We live in North Dakota, it's going to happen," she said. "We can all, you know, be better prepared for sure."