December 30, 2003

Region digs out

A 57-year-old man who suffered a fatal heart attack was among some 200 people stranded along the Siskiyou Pass Sunday night, as Interstate 5 was blocked in both directions by multiple accidents and snowdrifts up to 5 feet deep.

	About 20 members of a local snowmobile club help the Sheriff's Department carry food and fuel to people stuck on the Siskiyou summit overnight. Below, truck driver Dave Strong of A & M Trans. digs out of the deep snow along southbound I-5 Monday afternoon. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings

"This is one of the most severe storms we've ever seen, and that was compounded by all the holiday traffic," said John Vial, a District Manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation. "In the worst areas, cars are spun out, side by side, trucks have hit cars, cars have hit trucks. The snow came so fast the plows couldn't operate."

The interstate was closed from Ashland to Redding, a 150-mile stretch. Every two hours, officials from the Oregon State Police, ODOT, the California State Police and CalTrans held conference calls to assess the situation.

The only reported fatality occurred near the Siskiyou Summit when a man stranded died of a heart attack after helping other motorists put chains on their cars, authorities said. The man's name was not immediately released by police.

Motorists report that traffic came to a standstill about 4 p.m. Sunday, and many were not contacted by rescue workers until daylight Monday. "We can't get vehicles in there," said Vial. "We're using snowmobiles from Jackson County Search and Rescue, and we have state troopers walking in knee-deep snow."

The community steps up

By noon Monday, workers were hauling gas, water and food to the stranded motorists, and tow trucks were removing vehicles from the lower reaches of the mountain. But an announced 4 p.m. re-opening of the freeway came and went with the road still blocked, and dozens of people remained in their vehicles, facing the prospect of a second night on pass.

The Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter at the Southern Oregon University gym, and two buses were brought in to ferry the motorists from a police staging area at the Siskiyou Boulevard on-ramp, but the first passengers didn't arrive until after 4 p.m.

"We have health concerns," said Lieutenant Kurt Barthel of the Oregon State Police. "It's not a good idea to stay in this weather that long. We're asking them to come on down with us."

Volunteers from Jackson County Search and Rescue used snowmobiles to bring supplies to the hundreds of stranded drivers, most of whom carried no tire chains.

On the California side of the border, stranded motorists were on their way south by 12:30 p.m. Monday, and there were no injuries or accidents to report, said Sgt. Don Jordan of the California Highway Patrol.

Northbound lanes over the pass opened Monday afternoon to vehicles with chains; southbound lanes were reopened around 11 p.m.

A night in the snow

The National Weather Service said as much as 2 feet of snow had fallen along Interstate 5. Police said drifts were 6 to 7 feet high at the summit.

"I'm glad I carry about five days of food with me," said Dave Strong from the cab of his truck, which was hung up on a guard rail at about the 7-mile mark. Strong was hauling particle board.

"It was about four o'clock," he explained. "Everything was fine, we were all moving good, but then there was an accident about a quarter of a mile up the road and we had to stop. As soon as we stopped we started sliding backwards. I've got 71,000 pounds here. The police told me to back up, and I slid into the rail, and now I'm stuck in the snow.

"Then cars started coming back down," Strong continued, "and they slid towards the truck. Through the night, I pushed about a half dozen cars out from the front of my truck."

Strong and other nearby truckers joined together in the morning and hiked up the highway. "We were just checking to see that everyone was okay. I heard on the radio that one driver took in three kids to his truck to keep them warm."

Lloyd and Pat Hughes and Maizie, their 12-week-old miniature schnauzer, were traveling from Vancouver, B.C., to Palm Springs, Calif., Sunday night in their minivan. "There were a lot of trucks stopped on the road," said Lloyd Hughes. "But we were able to get to about a mile and a half below the summit - when we couldn't go any farther. I couldn't open the door because it was blocked by snow.

"It was cold, and we could hear the howling of the wind all night."

The couple took catnaps through the night and turned the car engine on occasionally to keep warm. "We had no idea when we'd get out of there," said Hughes. The couple made it back to Ashland on Monday, apparently in good spirits.

Stephen Brashear, a photographer from Roseburg, wasn't so lucky. "The car's at mile post 3," he said, waiting to be transported to the Red Cross shelter. "I tried to pass a stalled car and slid into a drift. Now it's completely under the snow, and it might take a couple of more days to pull it out."

"Ah, it's life," he said with resignation.

Kevin Wyatt, a driver with Dick's Towing, had worked through the night and was still on the road at noon Monday. "I've lost count of how many cars I've towed out," he said. Dick's had four trucks pulling cars off the mountain, while three other trucks were stranded on the summit, blocked by accidents below them. "We're just trying to get as many cars out of the way as we can so we can get to our other trucks," said Wyatt.

No room in the inn

As the snow fell, Callahan's lodge became the literal last resort for many travelers.

"We had a full house, people sleeping on the sofas," said Dawn Sutherland, a desk clerk at Callahan's. The lodge lost power at about 3:30 in the morning, said Sutherland, but was able to serve up a community breakfast for the guests nonetheless. "We're going to have a big spaghetti lunch too, and then do it again for dinner tonight. We're closed today, but we're taking care of the guests."

Sutherland said that some guests left the lodge late Sunday night in an attempt to beat the storm, but ended up spending the night in their cars on the freeway. "They called this morning and asked if they could come back to their rooms, but we didn't even know they were gone. It's been crazy around here."