Editor
In the face of another winter storm poised to arrived almost on the heels that just left the region reeling, the National Weather Service has canceled a snow advisory issued Monday and issued a winter storm watch for snow, rain and ice in its stead.
The watch is effective from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday evening, and work crews and volunteers are expected to resume work shoveling the roofs of schools, homes and businesses this morning in anticipation of as much as eight more inches of heavy snow.
Volunteers are planning to meet up with South Boundary fire fighters and staff at Naples elementary between 8 and 9 a.m. today to clear the roof, as well as return to Valley View Elementary at around the same time to finish shoveling there. Once finished, the crew is invited to move on to Bonners Ferry High School.
Businesses and homeowners throughout the region are encouraged to get their roofs clear so as to avoid structural damage or even collapse under the weight of existing snow, already heavy, before the additional precipitation anticipated exceeds structural snow loads.
"We've had big snows in my 66 years here," former Bonners Ferry Mayor Darrell Kerby posted to Facebook early Monday morning, "but I have never seen this much snow in one snowfall."
City, county and state road crews worked non-stop Sunday into Monday, but the snowfall was so heavy they couldn't keep up. Within an hour of plowing, it was hard to tell one had been through at all. Throughout the night, Sheriff's deputies, city police and state troopers went to the assistance of motorist stuck in the snow, or helped clear downed trees that blocked traffic. Amazingly, there were no major accidents on roads in the county.
On Monday, in the wake of as much as 36-inches of new snow in places, which many had to face without power after trees and power lines gave way, Boundary County Commissioners declared a state of emergency for the county, to include the City of Bonners Ferry, which paves the way for receiving state and federal assistance if necessary.
By nightfall Monday, City of Bonners Ferry and Northern Lights linemen and crews had restored power to all but one or two Boundary customers, though Northern Lights crews still had hundreds more in Bonner and Lincoln County still to go.
County Commissioners also called upon county fire fighters to take the lead in a "neighbors helping neighbors" effort to do as much as possible to preclude major damage, and on Monday, whether as a result of that call or perhaps merely the normal reaction of the remarkable citizens of Boundary County coming together in time of trouble as they always do, the community was out in force, doing what needs done.
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| Boundary Ambulance Service photo |
| While not handling lifesaving gear Monday, Boundary Ambulance Service Captain John Minden and partner Willa Unruh, the crew on Medic 2, as with many of their EMS counterparts, went above and beyond the call of duty between ambulance runs to help their neighbors with the work they weren't able to do themselves. |
Firefighters county wide organized volunteer work parties, made bigger as a result of many county businesses keeping their doors closed to cope with the storm, in tackling the snow piled up on schools, public buildings and more.
People with snow plows, snow blowers or just tractors with a blade didn't pause once they'd cleared off their own drives, but moved on to neighbors' properties to clear berms and lend a welcome hand.
But time is of the essence.
According to the National Weather Service, a moist and cold low pressure system is expected to bring more measurable snow beginning Wednesday evening, and snow will get heavy over night into Thursday, bringing from four to eight inches more snow to the valleys and up to 20 inches over higher elevations.
That will be bad enough, but Thursday's predicted weather, with temperatures warming to just above freezing, will undoubtedly make it worse as snow turns to sleet and freezing rain, which could lay down a tenth of an inch of ice.
As the precipitation transitions from flakes to solid to liquid in what the National Weather Service predicts will be a "messy" change as the snow level lifts from the valleys to 5,000 feet by late Thursday, the ice and rain will rapidly add to the weight of both existing and new snow, adding significantly to the stress on structures.
According to Boundary County public information officer Michael Meier, a square foot of dry, powdery snow weighs about 14.5 pounds. The heavy, wet snow expected, topped with even more weight from ice and rain, can easily surpass the 40-pound roof snowload most buildings in Boundary County are built to withstand.
As we gear up for round two of what some have dubbed "Snowmaggedon," Meier reminds all county residents facing crisis or collapse to call 911 for help. While the load on emergency services personnel is great, everything possible will be done to get help to those in need.
For those needing help getting ready for the approaching storm, but who aren't sure who to turn to, particularly the elderly, disabled or ill, NewsBF staff invites you to call (208) 295-1016 or email mikeweland@gmail.com, and we'll get word out to your neighbors on your behalf via this website and/or our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/newsbf.
We also invite those with help to give to let us know, and encourage everyone with a computer or cell phone to "like" our Facebook page for the most immediate news and information available in Boundary County, and we'd appreciate you sharing the links with neighbors and friends who might not know we're here.