Travelers Take Shelter at Little Bear as Storm Closes Bridge
By Paul Gingras

An emergency shelter was set up at Little Bear East Arena in St. Ignace Sunday afternoon, February 10, to help weekend travelers weather

a major storm that closed the Mackinac Bridge, US-2, northern portions of I-75, and highways west across the Upper Peninsula. An average of six inches of snow fell in the Eastern Upper Peninsula. Throughout the storm zone, temperatures ranged from zero to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chills averaging 15 to 20 below zero.

The blizzard hit northern Lower Michigan and the Lake Superior coast of the Upper Peninsula Saturday evening, February 9, and continued through Sunday evening. Mackinac

County was not part of the official blizzard area, but blizzard conditions

occurred in open areas of the county, particularly along US-2, reported Mike Cellitti, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Gaylord. Winds reached 43 miles per hour on Mackinac Island, and 51 miles per hour at Pellston, he added.

Beginning at 11:45 p.m. Saturday, the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) began escorting all vehicles over the bridge. It was closed to all traffic at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, minutes after white-out conditions caused a three-car accident on the causeway, said Bob Sweeney, executive secre- tary of the MBA.

The vehicles incurred only minor damage, which Mr. Sweeney attributed to the 20-mile-per-hour speed limit imposed during escorts. Accident victims received only minor injuries, said Sergeant Ken Laninga of the Michigan State Police post at St. Ignace.

The bridge was re-opened at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, at which time the MBA continued escorting all vehicles until 1:30 a.m. Monday.

Winds on the bridge averaged 40 to 50 miles per hour throughout the storm, with spikes reaching more than 60 miles per hour, Mr. Sweeney said.

Weekend travelers flooded St. Ignace, completely filling the city's motels and restaurants, as well as motels in Cedarville, reported Mike Kasper, Mackinac County's emergency management coordinator. Mr. Kasper ordered Little Bear set up for an emergency at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Travelers were offered food, coffee, and cots.

About 100 travelers took refuge at Little Bear over about four hours, Mr. Kasper said. The Red Cross, city, county, and state police, the MBA, and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians assisted in the effort.

Everyone had left Little Bear by 7:30 p.m. Sunday, said Susan Bentley, volunteer for the Mackinac County chapter of the Red Cross. She worked with Nancy Nelson, also of the Red Cross.

"The community really came together," she said, noting that B.C. Pizza donated 10 pizzas, Driftwood Sports Bar and Restaurant prepared soup, and Terry and Sharon Smith helped extensively with the setup.

I-75 was closed from M-28 north to the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie, Sergeant Laninga said, from 1:30 p.m. Sunday to 12:45 a.m. Monday. M-129, from M-28 to Sault Ste. Marie, was closed Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and reopened at 12:45 a.m. Monday, also. US-2 was closed at 7 a.m. Sunday and re-opened at 1 p.m. Monday.

Doug Noble, maintenance supervisor for the Michigan Department of Transportation in St. Ignace, said no cars were stuck on the closed roads. Sunday, at his request, county police used snowmobiles to check for stranded motorists along the highway. They found none, reported the Mackinac County Sheriff's Department.

A pickup truck pulling a snowmobile trailer rolled over on US-2 Sunday night, near Martin Lake Road, Sergeant Laninga said. The driver had bypassed the road block. He was issued a ticket. bit there were no injuries.

The storm led to school delays and closures Monday morning, February 11.

In The St. Ignace News coverage area, St. Ignace Area Schools, Mackinac Island Public School, Moran Township School, Engadine Consolidated Schools, and Mackinaw City Public Schools were closed for two hours Monday morning. Les Cheneaux Community Schools, Rudyard Area Schools, and Pickford Public Schools were closed all day.

Chippewa, Luce, and Alger counties were hardest hit in the Upper Peninsula, said Mr. Cellitti of the National Weather Service. Downstate, snow belts were severe in Charlevoix, Antrim, and Otsego counties. Snow preceded the blizzard Friday evening, and the early snowfall contributed to severe drifting as the weather worsened, he added.

The cause of the blizzard was an area of low pressure that moved across Ontario and Quebec, later followed by an area of high pressure that crossed the Great Plains, Mr. Cellitti explained. Arctic air currents were drawn in between them, creating lake-effect snowfall and severe winds in the storm zone.