Saskatchewan sideswiped by blizzard

[tropicana]

WICKED WINTER WEATHER HITS PROVINCE

Tues Feb 10 2004
A wicked winter storm walloped a large part of Saskatchewan Tuesday, reducing visibility to virtually nothing and forcing at least one community to seek shelter for students caught in the blizzard.

Highways were closed from Prince Albert in the north to Regina in the south as cars and trucks littered the ditches.

One pileup near Balgonie on the Trans-Canada Highway just east of Regina involved tens of vehicles, said RCMP Cpl. Brian Jones.

Police were receiving reports of injuries from a number of collisions, but it was difficult to know how serious they were.

"Officers are struggling to get to these scenes to check on the people involved," Jones said.

In Moose Jaw, to the west of Regina, a school division was looking to find billets for up to 800 rural students because the snow made travel for its four dozen school buses too dangerous.

"It is hard to see a couple of car lengths in front, so all of our buses aren't running out on the country runs," said Dennis Petersen, superintendent of transportation for the Thunder Creek School Division.

"This is something we have set up. It's all pre-arranged."

Petersen said billeting is common in rural Saskatchewan school divisions in the w inter.

Environment Canada issued a weather warning for the southeastern part of the province that remained in place throughout the day.

According to the forecast, near blizzard conditions were expected to last into the evening.

-justin-