Alberta reviewing response to Highway 63 storm that stranded hundreds of people

The Alberta regime is reviewing how the responsibility and contractors responded after a john r. Major snowstorm stranded people in hundreds of vehicles due south of fort up McMurray last week.

At an unrelated news conference on Wednesday, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said the review will include looking at communication between different organizations and the public, as well as response times from the province and emergency resources.

“The review is ongoing and we’ll be happy to share the results of that, to see if the response was adequate and what, if any, repercussions would come from the highway maintenance contractor at that time,” he said.

“At the end of the day it was a very significant snowstorm. There were massive, huge drifts with incredible wind. … It stretched out into Saskatchewan with road closures hitting northern Saskatchewan as well.”

A heavy snowfall began covering Highway 63 last Thursday evening. Traffic slowed to a stop roughly 140 kilometres south of Fort McMurray between Wandering River and Mariana Lake. Many people were trapped in their vehicles overnight as the snowfall continued into Friday.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) sent snowplows, trucks carrying food and water, and a bus to the area on Friday afternoon. By early Saturday morning, the RMWB announced the highway had been completely reopened.

Husam Khalo, a spokesperson for Dreeshen, said in an email that reviewing the response of the highway maintenance contractor is standard after all major weather events.

“Delays in clearing were not due to a lack of preparedness, but rather the severity of the storm, poor visibility, ongoing snowfall and the need to ensure it was safe for crews and tow operators to access the scene,” said Khalo.

Tany Yao, UCP MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, said the province was in contact with local authorities and emergency workers throughout the crisis.

He said he wants to know if the contractor and emergency workers could have been mobilized faster. He also wants to know if warnings about the highway’s conditions could have been stronger.

“Quite honestly, it's unacceptable that people are staying there overnight in their vehicles without barely any information,” he said in an interview.

“I mean, geez, I watched the weather reports two days before and I knew that was coming. It’s actually aggravating. I do hope they get to the bottom of this so that this never happens again.”

Add some “good” to your morning and evening.

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