Plows Pulled From Cass County Roads, Those Needing Help Asked to Call Hotline

Cass County pulled plows from county roads shortly after 2 p.m., and they aren’t likely to return to service until early Saturday, a top sheriff’s office official said.

The county's tactical operations center is asking anyone needing assistance, or those with questions about assistance, to call (701) 297-6000.

Cass County Chief Deputy Jim Thoreson said that plows will be available for emergency situations, but the county’s rural roads and highways are “basically impassable” and are expected to get worse as the second blast of a double-barreled blizzard strikes.

Between 20 and 30 people were recovered from Interstates 94 and 29 overnight through mid-morning, said Capt. Eldon Mehrer of the North Dakota State Highway Patrol.

One recovered driver on I-29 was wearing shorts in a stalled vehicle when he was found by troopers this morning, Mehrer said.

Though no major medical problems were reported, it was a long night for many stranded drivers.

“There were a lot of people who were very, grateful to see us,” Mehrer said.

I-94 and Highway 10 in Minnesota were opened Saturday morning, but will be closed again starting at 4 p.m.

Interstates in North Dakota remain closed.

Mehrer said the roadway on I-94 is “solid ice, literally” from Fargo to the exit for Buffalo, N.D., about 40 miles to the west.

Authorities are close to finishing off the removal of cars and trucks at the site of Thursday’s crash involving 100 vehicles on I-94 near Mapleton, N.D. By about 1:45 p.m., four semis and three cars remained, and they should be towed out by 3 p.m., Mehrer said.

Thoreson said there were about 10 vehicles still to be removed from County Road 10 in Cass County as of 2:15 p.m.

“We’re just trying get ahead of the game while we’ve got a little lull here,” he said.

Law enforcement urged no travel in the area, as the New Year’s Eve portion of the twin blizzard is expected to dump as much as another 9 inches on the Fargo area tonight.

With many main roads in Fargo well-plowed, Thoreson said he was worried that city residents won’t grasp how bad out-county road have gotten.

“People are going to think they can get out and around,” he said.

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