Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke is joining the chorus of first responders and police authorities asking people to stay off of the roads if at all possible.
Behnke tells us, “Stuck vehicles are blocking the plows from doing their job and current road conditions (at 9:40am on Thursday, January 30th) in Cass County are making travel unsafe.” Behnke adds, “Cass County is experiencing near-blizzard conditions.”
Frequent whiteouts have resulted in many slide-offs and vehicles getting stuck in drifted sections of the roadway and worse into the ditches. Those situations are causing dangerous road conditions for traveling emergency crews and road commission plows. Additionally, record low wind chills and temperatures are adding to life and safety concerns for motorists and first responders alike.
Behnke issued a statement this morning saying, “Please stay off the roadways and allow road agencies time to remove continuing blowing and drifting snow. Vehicles with low ground clearance ‘will’ get stuck in the drifts and block traffic, and the frigid temperatures can produce frostbite in 10-15 minutes if exposed to the wind. It is not recommended that you travel unless it is absolutely necessary. Similarly, please limit communication to road clearing agencies and to our 911 dispatch center to emergency situations or complaints that need necessary attention. They are working hard to clear the roads as quickly as they can if it can be done in a safe manor.”
