‘This is rural Lambton county working together at its finest’

Heather Wright/The Independent

The roads closed, transports jack-knifed, cars and trucks were stranded in white-out conditions but the OPP say in all those accidents, there were no injuries reported after a blizzard blew through Lambton over the weekend.

Around 11:42 am Friday, Environment Canada posted a Blizzard warning for East Lambton including parts of Plympton-Wyoming, Warwick Township and Lambton Shores. Late in the afternoon, the weather started to turn, with snow and high winds making driving difficult.

Warwick Firefighters, who had responded to a jack-knifed truck on Highway 402, warned just before Environment Canada’s Orange Blizzard notice was issued that Highway 402 was deteriorating. “Road salt supply is very limited which can make conditions even worse. Officers on scene advised that no vehicles will be removed today as a result of the conditions,” officials wrote on their social media.

Around 1 am Saturday, Environment Canada also issued an Orange Blizzard warning for Petrolia.

Throughout the night, drivers on Highway 402 and local roads became stranded in large drifts on the road and whiteout conditions as the snow continued to fall. Dispatchers told drivers calling in to report their accident that tow truck crews and plows had been pulled off the road and they were advised how to stay safe inside their vehicle overnight.

Around 2:30 Saturday morning, fire officials said the fire halls in both Warwick and Watford were open for stranded travelers. Several Warwick residents said on social media that they had taken in drivers for the night.

Saturday, at 8:30 am, OPP Const. Ed Sanchuck said all of Highway 402 – from London to Sarnia – was closed in both directions. “You cannot use the 402,” he said in a video posted to social media.

And he reassured stranded travelers, estimated to be in the hundreds, help was on the way. “Rest assured we do have resources coming to you.”

Lambton County, Warwick Township, and the Town Plympton-Wyoming all declared significant weather events saying roads were next to impassable in some areas. Paramedics had difficulties getting to calls in Plympton-Wyoming and Lambton Shores. Lambton County officials asked people only to call 9-1-1 for life-threatening emergencies.

Warming centres were also opened in the Village of Warwick, Watford, Camlachie, Wyoming and Petrolia.

A number of roads were closed, including Confederation and Michigan Line in Plympton-Wyoming, as transports forced off Highway 402 tried to make their way west on the secondary roads. Neighbours along London Line reported a steady stream of transports which at time seemed to be parked on the roadway.

One transport was stranded on Minielly Road.

In Warwick, Churchill Line from Nauvoo Road to Forest Road and Confederation Line from Nauvoo Road to Forest Road had to be closed because of high drifts, blowing snow and stranded vehicles.

Road crews, the OPP, tow trucks and firefighters went to work to try to clear up the mess and get people on the road again.

In Plympton-Wyoming, firefighters helped with the rescue effort as did local service clubs and businesses. Public works crews from Petrolia also brought plows in to clear roads there.

St. Clair Township firefighters came to help the OPP, bringing along a drone to help spot people in need on Highway 402.

Dawn-Euphemia public works crews were also called into action to help their neighbours, according the Mayor Al Broad in a social media post.

“I was receiving reports of snow plows stuck, EMS couldn’t get around, people were stranded in their autos and semi trucks and many roads shut down with numerous autos in the ditch. I just knew that based on our snow fall amounts that we had to help out,” Broad said.

After clearing the township roads, Dawn-Euphemia sent two snowplows to Warwick Township. “This is rural Lambton county working together at its finest,” said Broad. “If you see our public works crew, please thank them for another job well done.”

The conditions in Warwick were so bad at one point one of the township’s own plows had to be pulled from a ditch.

In Lambton Shores, Forest Line was closed from Warwick Township to the Grand Bend. Lakeshore Road from Camlachie to Kettle Point was impassable with the road closing also for a time while crews cleared vehicles and snow.

But by Saturday afternoon, public works crews made significant progress.

The eastbound lane of the 402 reopened around 3:15 pm Saturday, as did the local roads closed in Plympton-Wyoming and Warwick Township.

While roads were significantly better, there were still over 100 vehicles stuck along the roads by mid-afternoon. And driving conditions were still not idea with high winds causing whiteouts and drifts on local roads.

Highway 402 was closed again Sunday morning from Nauvoo Road to the 401 in London because of blowing snow and accidents in the area. It reopened around 11 am.

Const. Sanchuck said the snow banks were four to five feet tall on each side of the highway, heavy winds led to blowing snow and poor driving conditions.

The road reopened at 11:13 am Sunday as the wind died down and road conditions improved.

And, Sanchuck said, there were “absolutely no injuries to report.”