ISHPEMING, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Marquette County Sheriff’s Office says despite the storm’s widespread impact, the county does not meet the criteria for a state disaster declaration. Still, many residents are dealing with ongoing challenges, especially clearing heavy snow from private property and around home ventilation systems to prevent carbon monoxide buildup.
To help, local officials are partnering with The Superior Watershed Partnership and The Community Foundation of Marquette County to assist the elderly and those with special needs. But remember, anyone needing assistance is urged to call 211,
If the storm had a hero. They drove a snowplow. The Marquette County Road Commission operates a fleet of aging trucks on some of the most remote and challenging roadways in the state, where snow drifts can swallow a giant snowplow whole.
“Pretty brutal out there on Monday for a while, where it was snowing and blowing, and the guy said, Well, how long? What happens if we have to pull the trucks off the road? I said that won’t happen,” replied Marquette County Road Commission Operations Manager Ross Olsen.
The goal is to have the roads clear within a day. But with this much snow… all bets are off.
“But if it snows behind the truck, it can snow for 24 hours before we get back to that spot again. And it did. It did that two days in a row. So, to have everything opened up for the most part, on Wednesday, we did quite well,” said Olsen.
Years ago, an old plow driver explained the job to Olson in very simple terms.
“You plow snow, and you get ready to plow snow. And I said, No, we do all kinds of stuff. We do tree removal, culvert replacement, ditch cleanout, and build roads,” explained Olsen. “And he says, “No, that’s just busy work…here you either plow snow, or you get ready to plow snow. That’s your job. Yeah, that’s right”.
