A
Anonymous
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Am I glad this just missed us-- wind is howling today and temp is 47- drying things out fast- sorted off some pairs to corral and haul north to grass tomorrow- I was able to get a crew together- might miss Brents bull sale, but I had to promise everyone they would be back by the party afterwards.....
I always feel a lot of respect for the Power Crews in weather like this- they have a dangerous job- I saw this article this morning.....Hope everyone else comes thru this safely.....
Blizzard in northeast Montana leaves at least 1 dead
By LORNA THACKERAY
Of The Gazette Staff
A Westby man working to restore power in blizzard-ravaged northeast Montana and northwest North Dakota died Tuesday evening in what appears to be a weather-related accident.
Details were not available this morning. Investigators are still at the scene just over the Montana line in North Dakota.
The victim was identified as Harry Ming, 47, who has worked for Sheridan Electric Co-op for 20 years. Based in Medicine Lake, the power company serves Sheridan, Roosevelt and Daniels counties in Montana and Divide County in North Dakota.
Bill Schell, general manager for the company, said the accident was work-related, but he could not provide details until the investigation is completed. "We had power poles down all over," he said in the aftermath of the storm. "You couldn't hardly see your hand in front of your face."
Crews will likely be working through the weekend before repairs are completed, he said.
The powerful spring storm dropped power poles and closed roads all over the extreme eastern end of Montana Tuesday night and into this morning.
"I can't get out of my front door," said Rusty Jardee, Carter County Sheriff in Ekalaka. "I looking out my back window and the snow is up to the top of my patrol car."
The road superintendent is snowed in, too, and the courthouse is closed.
"We're pretty much shut down," he said. "We can't get any emergency equipment out."
Snow was still blowing and drifting this morning and the sheriff said drifts of wet, heavy snow stood 5 to 6 feet high in his yard. Power came back on this morning after being out since Monday afternoon.
Highway 7, which ends at Ekalaka, remains closed north to Wibaux. Highway 212 south of Broadus is closed south to the state line.
A blizzard warning issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect for southeast Montana until 6 this evening. The Weather Service forecasts winds up to 50 mph and widespread whiteout conditions. Another 3 to 6 inches of snow could fall today, the forecast says.
Extra plows were added to clear roads around Wibaux, which got about 8 inches of snow, according to Clyde Mitchell, Montana Department of Transportation maintenance superintendent at Glendive. Those crews will work south once the Wibaux area is cleared. Interstate 94 was closed between Glendive and the North Dakota line about 8:30 Tuesday night and was reopened about 8:30 Wednesday morning.
Mitchell reported a half-dozen slide-offs, but no injuries. A few stranded motorists broke into a DOT maintenance shop and waited out the blizzard, he said.
I always feel a lot of respect for the Power Crews in weather like this- they have a dangerous job- I saw this article this morning.....Hope everyone else comes thru this safely.....
Blizzard in northeast Montana leaves at least 1 dead
By LORNA THACKERAY
Of The Gazette Staff
A Westby man working to restore power in blizzard-ravaged northeast Montana and northwest North Dakota died Tuesday evening in what appears to be a weather-related accident.
Details were not available this morning. Investigators are still at the scene just over the Montana line in North Dakota.
The victim was identified as Harry Ming, 47, who has worked for Sheridan Electric Co-op for 20 years. Based in Medicine Lake, the power company serves Sheridan, Roosevelt and Daniels counties in Montana and Divide County in North Dakota.
Bill Schell, general manager for the company, said the accident was work-related, but he could not provide details until the investigation is completed. "We had power poles down all over," he said in the aftermath of the storm. "You couldn't hardly see your hand in front of your face."
Crews will likely be working through the weekend before repairs are completed, he said.
The powerful spring storm dropped power poles and closed roads all over the extreme eastern end of Montana Tuesday night and into this morning.
"I can't get out of my front door," said Rusty Jardee, Carter County Sheriff in Ekalaka. "I looking out my back window and the snow is up to the top of my patrol car."
The road superintendent is snowed in, too, and the courthouse is closed.
"We're pretty much shut down," he said. "We can't get any emergency equipment out."
Snow was still blowing and drifting this morning and the sheriff said drifts of wet, heavy snow stood 5 to 6 feet high in his yard. Power came back on this morning after being out since Monday afternoon.
Highway 7, which ends at Ekalaka, remains closed north to Wibaux. Highway 212 south of Broadus is closed south to the state line.
A blizzard warning issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect for southeast Montana until 6 this evening. The Weather Service forecasts winds up to 50 mph and widespread whiteout conditions. Another 3 to 6 inches of snow could fall today, the forecast says.
Extra plows were added to clear roads around Wibaux, which got about 8 inches of snow, according to Clyde Mitchell, Montana Department of Transportation maintenance superintendent at Glendive. Those crews will work south once the Wibaux area is cleared. Interstate 94 was closed between Glendive and the North Dakota line about 8:30 Tuesday night and was reopened about 8:30 Wednesday morning.
Mitchell reported a half-dozen slide-offs, but no injuries. A few stranded motorists broke into a DOT maintenance shop and waited out the blizzard, he said.