Michiganders are beginning to understand the magnitude of the major winter storm that crushed the northern part of the state as people began to dig themselves out of their homes and businesses Tuesday.
The National Weather Service says some areas of the central Upper Peninsula received up to 4 feet of snow, putting several all-time snowfall records at risk of being broken. Heavy snow and ice accumulations, particularly in the northern Lower Peninsula, left thousands without power and roads impassable.
In Gwinn, about 20 miles south of Marquette, one staff member at the Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter said two employees traversed treacherous weather conditions during the height of the blizzard to take care of their collection of cats, dogs and small critters. Members of the staff also hunkered down and spent the night at the shelter during the blizzard to make sure animals were safe, warm and had food and water.
“The people who work here, it’s definitely a work of passion,” said Kya Curtis, one of the full-time staff members at the nonprofit shelter. “Nobody wanted to even risk letting these little guys go a day without the proper care that they need.”
The front entrance to the shelter was nearly fully engulfed by a snowdrift that went more than halfway up the building. Several side entrances were spared, allowing people and animals access in and out.
“We do have a tractor here,” Curtis said. “We’re hoping to get the proper hookup for it to get it up and running. But if not, we’ve got a snowblower and some shovels that we’re going to get cracking with.”
The animals are all in good spirits, Curtis said, especially one dog named Dandelion, who has been “eating up all the snow that we got.”
Not far down the road in Delta and Menominee counties, dairy farmers were dumping milk due to a lack of power and struggling to get propane tanks refilled to run equipment because of harsh road conditions, according to state Sen. Ed McBroom, who runs a dairy farm 20 miles east of Iron Mountain.
“This is the biggest single snowstorm event I’ve had in my lifetime,” McBroom said. “People are buried — sometimes their first-story windows and doors are blocked by snow — so they’re climbing out the second story and shoveling out from the outside. It depends on which way your doors open.”
A snow day on a farm, McBroom said, is an extra day of work. He said the storm has already added at least three extra days of work for him and his family, who were working to push snow off barns and other structures when he spoke with WCMU by phone.
“There’s some excitement and a lot of good humor about it, but it’s also frustrating,” McBroom said. “And we’ve got people who’ve lost roofs, had some collapses. That’s, of course, really depressing and discouraging.”
In the northern Lower Peninsula, many roads remain impassable, and places like Traverse City and Alpena are nearly shut down as public officials urge residents to travel only if necessary.
Starting Wednesday at noon, the Petoskey Department of Public Safety said in a news release that it will begin removing vehicles from city streets.
Officials said vehicles are blocking traffic on streets filled with tall snowbanks. Their top concern is making roads accessible for ambulances and first responders in the event of an emergency.
If people don’t remove their vehicles, the release said, owners will be charged impounding fees at their own expense.
In some areas of the northern Lower Peninsula, the storm brought a mix of freezing rain, ice and heavy snow, creating multiple layers within large snow piles. The multilayered snowbanks were difficult to shovel for Simone Kranz of Traverse City, who said she got around 2 feet of snow at her house.
“It’s very arduous,” Kranz said while taking a shoveling break to speak with WCMU. “My back gave out … we’re just kind of hoping that the neighbors help us.”
Kranz added that most of her neighbors have not been dug out and said she is hoping to get to work by Thursday.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Tuesday evening in seven northern Michigan counties pummeled by the blizzard and ice storms. The declaration will allow more state resources to be deployed to assist local officials with cleanup and recovery.
