Chatham-Kent declared a State of Emergency following a winter storm that roared through the region one year ago.
Major collisions closed down highways and vehicles were left abandoned as conditions were too dangerous to drive. Hundreds were stranded and thousands across Southwestern Ontario were left without power over the holiday weekend.
"Not to sound cliche, but it was the perfect storm," Assistant Chief of Chatham-Kent Fire and Rescue and Emergency Management Coordinator Adam Walters said. "It was a major weather event on the days leading up to a holiday season. If the event would have happened in February, I don't know that we would have seen the same result," he added. Walters said that if it hadn't been the Christmas weekend, people likely wouldn't have been on the roads.
Mayor Darrin Canniff explained that for him to declare a state of emergency, it must be recommended to him by emergency services. He added that once a state of emergency has been declared it opens up emergency powers and allows the municipality to tap the province for help.
"One of the triggers is, for us to not be able to provide the services mandated by council," Walters said of his recommendation to Canniff at the time. "So, in this event, as soon as ambulances could no longer travel down the road, and we couldn't respond to calls without significant delays, that was the trigger to declare the State of Emergency."
Beyond the state of emergency, the mayor instituted a 72-hour parking ban on Christmas Eve, in an attempt to keep people and cars at home.
"There were literally hundreds of cars deserted," Canniff said. "Snow plows couldn't go down the roads without hitting cars. So, you can't plow the roads with all the cars there, and you only have so many resources as far as tow trucks... When ambulances are getting stuck and fire trucks and even the snow plows, you know it's bad."
According to Canniff, last year's holiday storm cost Chatham-Kent approximately $1 million. This includes paying for emergency services, equipment, and third-party costs.
Walters said that over a 24-hour period, fire crews alone responded to about 100 calls for service. He added that the police dispatchers did an extraordinary job coordinating both police and fire calls during the storm.
At least two firefighters sustained cold weather injuries during the prolonged call, suffering from frostbite.
"We did see some interesting pictures that were sent to us of firefighters that had snow hanging off of their eyelashes from being out in the blowing snow on those highways for so long," Walters recalled.
His advice to anyone if they do happen to get stuck while driving in a snowstorm is to stay in the car. He noted that not only would it be easier for emergency crews to find you, but it could keep you from getting lost or hit by another vehicle.
When asked if fire crews experienced anything unexpected during the storm Walters said no, but they did see something remarkable.
"It's not unexpected in Chatham-Kent because I know the community that we are, but the willingness of everybody in the community to come together to help people out. Seeing the retailers invite people in to shelter in the warmth, the Kent Farmers Association assisting with some of their members helping out with tractors clearing snow and helping stranded motorists... We hear so many stories about people inviting others into their homes; spending the holiday with complete strangers. It was heartwarming," he explained.
The municipality is currently working on a new communication method so that there's a single place for Chatham-Kent residents to go for information about community-wide emergencies such as storms or boil water advisories.
