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When will people learn

When will people learn

Milky Whey
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 562

Milky Whey
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 562

When will people learn
3/7/2017 at 6:38 AM

Given the fact that we were being warned about this storm since at least Friday, why in the world do people have to be so selfish and thoughtless.

Unless they are specifically told that the road(s) are closed, they have to ask what the conditions are and if it is ok to drive.

IT IS STORMING PEOPLE, IT IS STORMIMG.

Just because you have a sports event, a class, a girlfriend or boyfriend, an appointment, or you were to short sighted to plan ahead, does not give you the right to risk the lives of police, fire department, ambulance or highway workers. The fact that they are first responders does not make it any safer for them to be out, IT IS STILL A FREAKING STORM AND A BAD ONE.

Another thread says that they are sure the stranded travellers are sorry they made the decision to travel. Well, I certainly hope nothing bad happens to them, but, you know, just maybe they may learn that they have to think for themselves once in awhile and cant rely on someone to get their butt out of a sling when they get into trouble.

You are to too thoughtless and selfish to stay safe, your cell phone and visa card didn't get you out of a bind this time. Maybe a bit of discomfort will shorten the learning curve a bit.
alogal
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 149

alogal
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 149

...
3/7/2017 at 6:43 AM

Well since I don't want to wish anything bad to happen to anyone, I sincerely hope karma doesn't hit you so that if you're ever in a hard situation you are treated with the same attitude you are showing.
springishere
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 221

springishere
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 221

wish
3/7/2017 at 6:46 AM

I wish you didn't have to deal with all this stress on a Tuesday morning. I hope YOUR day turns around.

For those stuck in this storm I pray you return safely to your families who you were desperately trying to get home to be with for whatever the reason. Stay strong!!
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Highways
3/7/2017 at 7:12 AM

If this whole rant is based on the fact that there were warnings, did you realize that even Environment Canada didn't see things to be quite bad enough to have Brandon under a warning of any kind yesterday until after noon (there was a warning the previous day that had been pulled back yesterday morning). It's true that you had to be living under a rock to not know that the weather was taking a bad turn in Westman and the owness is on the driver to adapt to the conditions around them but I don't think some people realize just how quickly things turned when the wind shifted after 4pm from NW 24km to N 55km and the temp dropped 6 degrees just between 4 and 5pm. I see no benefit from judging people whose personal circumstances I know nothing about. Sincerest positive thoughts are with those that have found themselves in a situation that nobody reading this would ever want to find themselves in. I hope when all is said and done that there are stories to be told that we can all learn from should we find ourselves in a similar situation some day.
Chewey85
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 38

Chewey85
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 38

lol
3/7/2017 at 7:28 AM

OP - get off your high horse. Not everyone is connected 24/7 to the weather network, twitter, Facebook - etc.

Also - we hear about storm warnings all the time that have nowhere near the impact that environment Canada suggests. So, it makes sense why some travellers would head out on the road anyway.

Furthermore - you seem to think everyone is headed out on the roads for arbitrary reasons like sports, girlfriends... Did you know that loved ones suffering at a hospital still have families that travel to see them? Did you know some people have loved ones who need assistance at home that they need to travel to?

Not everyone's life is perfect likes yours OP - so don't be so quick to judge a person's reason to be on the road during a storm.
Newfie101
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 480

Newfie101
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 480

Some stranded
3/7/2017 at 7:50 AM

Not just from the storm. Some were trying to get back to brandon before the storm happened and got stuck behind a semi pile up. That's not their fault. Maybe they were coming home from work. You don't know. And yes there may have been some who thought they could beat the stormost, but who are we to judge. There are semi drivers as well who do need food and water. No one is asking the first responders to put their lives at risk! But everyone is concerned about it!!
don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

Yesterday
3/7/2017 at 7:57 AM

The weather conditions did change in a pretty short time. Most road reports are not up to date, and even checking the roads report, are left thinking that they will be home before things get really bad. I was on #2 at around 2:30 pm. and the road at that time was becoming ice covered.
Weather forecasting is still not an exact science, and a few weeks back we were all expecting a major storm and yet nothing happened, even yesterday morning we were looking at radar and it looked like the path might be to the west of us, by noon even the American radar did not look like we would get anything significant.
The wind parts of this system was pretty well spot on, but knowing when a storm will develope into a precipitation event is very hard to predict.
I know I have an attitude problem, and if I have no reason to be on roads when conditions are bad, I stay home. That being said, I will also say that it doesn't take much of an excuse or reason to make me venture out. The only thing I will add is that if you are heading out you know that there is risk involved, which means a completely different driving strategy as well as making sure if you become stranded you are prepared for that.
SJN
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 45

SJN
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 45

how hard
3/7/2017 at 8:21 AM

is to pack a safety kit with food and water?
Milky Whey
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 562

Milky Whey
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 562

being prepared
3/7/2017 at 8:31 AM

That is the whole point.
There are exceptions to everything.
And don't think I put myself on a pedestal, because I don't. I just get tired of people taking unnecessary risks and then putting others at risk to save them.
Have a plan B. Pack enough food and water, blankets that will keep you warm, so you can have enough layers and you don't need to worry about freezing. Carry good winter boots, something good for cold weather and not a fashion boot.
If you have family in the hospital you are trying to get to, how much help are you if you are stranded, I would guess none.

I am old enough and worked long enough in the outside industries to say, "I have pretty much seen most of what people will do, that don't think ahead or prepare."

So trust me, this is not a rant. Just think a bit about what you are going to do.
don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

Purpose of the story
3/7/2017 at 9:22 AM

I think the purpose of this story is to make people realize that there are dangers in driving in these conditions, dangers to the drivers, and dangers to those who may respond. For the drivers the message is be prepared.
kevlar
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 103

kevlar
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 103

I agree.
3/7/2017 at 9:48 AM

I agree with the OP on this one. Why should it be up to others to risk their lives to go out and get people off the roads when it was obvious the weather was getting bad. This will be a good lesson for those that are out there, I know people need to get places but when there is a blizzard and the roads are bad, that trumps whatever it is you need to get out for. People seem to always expect someone to bail them out. When plows and emergency crews are sent out to get people off the roads, maybe send them the bill for it and that might help to make them think a bit more the next time they head out in poor conditions.
pudds
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 247

pudds
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 247

.
3/7/2017 at 9:51 AM

We live in Manitoba - it storms all the time here.

It's really easy to be critical in hindsight, but can you really say you'd have stayed off the highway if you had a reason to travel?

It's easy for me to say I'll stay off the highway, because I'm comfortable in my home in Brandon.

But most of the time, the forecasts end up being wrong, the conditions don't end up being so bad, or major accidents are avoided and traffic still flows.

I know one person who was stranded all night that was trying to go home from work in the afternoon. He had an offer of a bed to stay in, but it's a lot harder to choose to stay overnight at someone else's house than it to choose to stay at your own house.

I know another family who was also stranded - they live about 1 mile past the pileup, or about 25km outside of Brandon. Can you honestly say you wouldn't brave the highways to get home when you're that close?

It's easy to be critical, but I know that I've driven in some bad conditions before, and I'm not prepared to say that I'd have made a better decision, knowing that the odds of making it home were still quite high.
Chewey85
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 38

Chewey85
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 38

Kevlar
3/7/2017 at 10:02 AM

Take some time to do some reading about what exactly people have went through on the highway.

The storm approached very quickly and was very "squall" like - so there was literally only minutes between when the storm started and when it got extremely dangerous to drive.

You simply CANNOT blame the drivers that got stranded. It's easy to sit on your laptop/phone/whatever and say "people shouldn't have been out there!" But you have zero idea of how the situation escalated so quickly.

Environment Canada has put us in the path of storms like this so often, only to be wrong - so you can't blame people for not taking the warnings too seriously.

Plus, EC had this specific area (Brandon, Brandon-west) out of the blizzard warning up until 11am. That's a rather short time to get the word out to people who aren't connected to Social media 24/7.

Why doesn't 511 issue preemptive travel advisories?

Radio is useless in this city as well. CBC radio was very passive about this storm as Winnipeg didn't take a direct hit.

Our local stations are too busy playing ads and god awful music rather than informing the public about a situation that was deteriorating by the minute.

So let's not blame those who were on the highway. Our notification systems in place are terrible. There's too much emphasis on social media and not enough on terrestrial methods of communicating to the public.
ZachT
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 497

ZachT
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 497

Idiots
3/7/2017 at 10:20 AM

Here it is, 10:15 on Tuesday morning, with most roads in the area closed for hours, and I just saw two idiots driving south on #10, south of Bdn. They were in 4X4s and traveling slow, but the road is still closed. These are the types of people that the OP is talking about.

bdn1992
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 8

bdn1992

Joined: Mar 2017

Posts: 8

3/7/2017 at 10:25 AM

ZachT said "Here it is, 10:15 on Tuesday morning, with most roads in the area closed for hours, and I just saw two idiots driving south on #10, south of Bdn. They were in 4X4s and traveling slow, but the road is still closed. These are the types of people that the OP is talking about. "

He even clarified, he's talking about people needing to be prepared for the storm ahead of time and that we knew it was coming. Not the morons heading out now as we speak.

don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

People on the road
3/7/2017 at 10:53 AM

I was one of those who went out on the road after I knew how severe the storm was. Got a call to see if I could assist someone who was stuck, and away I went. For me it is a risk to reward scenario. The risk was could get stuck myself, or get in an accident because of reduced visibility, the reward would be someone getting home. Even the most experienced driver can run into problems if you come apon a scene where the road is blocked by an accident or stuck drivers.
Remember, in life there are no garantees.
Rainy
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 116

Rainy
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 116

milky whey
3/7/2017 at 11:44 AM

maybe if the trucks heading west had slowed down the accident wouldn''t have happened,the majority of the other vehicles heading west would have gotten to where they needed to be. i was driving from the west and it went from foggy to rain and ice pellets then snow within an hr. the traffic heading east were driving to conditions as were driving in it. yes,I agree that because of the impending storm<: people should prepare for the worst.gas,snacks,warm clothes and an extra heat source. but basically telling people they are idiots is insulting.There were even emergency services vehicles stuck in this. i also saw on the weather website where they had a blizzard alert then down graded it so this problem is because of numerous factors. not just about people not planning ahead. WHEN IT IS FREEZING RAIN AND ICE PELLETS COMBINED WITH HUNDREDS OF TIRES ON THE PAVEMENT, SLOW THE HELL DOWN. ESPECIALLY THE SEMIS. with the modern vehicles and winter tires we have,people also think they don't have to drive to conditions.

Edited by Rainy, 2017-03-07 11:46:48
shooterguy
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 482

shooterguy
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 482

I will be flogged
3/7/2017 at 12:32 PM

as well but I agree with the original poster.

I was to be in Winnipeg for a meeting today. I could have left at 4 yesterday and probably made it. Not about to take the chance. Even if I did I would be stranded in Winnipeg.

Sometimes it is just not worth the I will beat the storm.

Just my opinion.

and

I am a passionate person but sometimes being passionate is not always the case.......
volkswagon
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 52

volkswagon
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 52

Semis
3/7/2017 at 12:36 PM

Who says they were going too fast? We followed one from Alexander almost to Virden going 10-20km/h. Suddenly he stopped. I finally went around because I knew we were close to a turn off to a gravel road. Well there was nothing in front of him so we continued down the hiway only now I could go 40-50 km/h. So don't assume they're going too fast.

pudds
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 247

pudds

Joined: Jun 2010

Posts: 247

3/7/2017 at 12:53 PM

shooterguy said "as well but I agree with the original poster.

I was to be in Winnipeg for a meeting today. I could have left at 4 yesterday and probably made it. Not about to take the chance. Even if I did I would be stranded in Winnipeg.

Sometimes it is just not worth the I will beat the storm.

Just my opinion.

and

I am a passionate person but sometimes being passionate is not always the case....... "

Staying home is a pretty easy decision. Would you have made the same choice if you''d already been in Winnipeg?

Choosing to spend a night in a hotel or in a guest bedroom when the roads are still open is much harder to justify.

Edited by pudds, 2017-03-07 12:54:29

The_Young_Man
Joined: This month
Posts: 1626

The_Young_Man

Joined: This month

Posts: 1626

Semi

3/7/2017 at 12:57 PM

Rainy said "maybe if the trucks heading west had slowed down the accident wouldn''t have happened,the majority of the other vehicles heading west would have gotten to where they needed to be. i was driving from the west and it went from foggy to rain and ice pellets then snow within an hr. the traffic heading east were driving to conditions as were driving in it. yes,I agree that because of the impending storm<: people should prepare for the worst.gas,snacks,warm clothes and an extra heat source. but basically telling people they are idiots is insulting.There were even emergency services vehicles stuck in this. i also saw on the weather website where they had a blizzard alert then down graded it so this problem is because of numerous factors. not just about people not planning ahead. WHEN IT IS FREEZING RAIN AND ICE PELLETS COMBINED WITH HUNDREDS OF TIRES ON THE PAVEMENT, SLOW THE HELL DOWN. ESPECIALLY THE SEMIS. with the modern vehicles and winter tires we have,people also think they don't have to drive to conditions.

Edited by Rainy, 2017-03-07 11:46:48"

It's was a 5 vehicle accident but apparently only one semi was involved in the accident.

RCMP say a 5 vehicle crash involving at least 1 semi at Hwy 1 and PR 250 near Alexander, MB stranded a high number of vehicles. #mbstorm pic.twitter.com/HcPrj0E0OU
&mdash: Beth Macdonell (@BethCTV) March 7, 2017

Ambulance transported 66yo man in Hwy1 crash to Brandon hosp as precaution. No other injuries reported. Ppl still stranded say RCMP #mbstorm
&mdash: Beth Macdonell (@BethCTV) March 7, 2017

kevlar
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 103

kevlar
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 103

.
3/7/2017 at 2:07 PM

I have read about the people stranded. To say the storm moved in in "minutes" is nuts, unless you call a 5-6 day warning in advance last minute. I do know how the storm moved in as I live in Manitoba also. You can't blame Environment Canada for this, I know they are as reliable as a two dollar watch, but you also have to give what they say some merit also, just because they ended the blizzard watch for that area doesn't mean it's going to be like summer out there. You don't have to be glued to social media or the internet to know this was coming, and yes it was on the radio. It's Manitoba and we get some pretty wild weather, people need to be on the ready for things like this and use some good judgement. I'm not criticizing those stranded on the highway, I just feel it was avoidable.
myl
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 14

myl
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 14

.
3/7/2017 at 2:39 PM

https://www.google.ca/amp/leaderpost.com/news/saskatchewan/man-dead-after-road-collision-near-village-of-gerald/amp

A tow truck driver was killed this morning in SK. I think regardless of the warning about the storm many of us were caught off guard by how bad it became. To those of you workers braving the storm to provide essential services I appreciate the job you do. To all of those caught in the storm I hope you arrive home safely.
Milky Whey
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 562

Milky Whey
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 562

insulted, offended or angry
3/7/2017 at 4:00 PM

Doesn't really matter to me if you are.
So, how many of you are going to carry a duffel bag with a pair of insulated coveralls, or a parka and snow pants, hat, mitts, plus a pair of really warm boots. Also a couple of warm blankets. Maybe a couple of those survival candles, matches to light it with and some emergency rations?
If this thread makes someone ticked off enough to think about it, great.
When I did a lot of travelling during the winter, I never left without it. This was also before cell phones, social media and the access to information we have.
Never_give_up
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 362

Never_give_up
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 362

Lesson
3/7/2017 at 5:10 PM

There is a lesson in this. One that I needed to learn. I am a daily commuter. Thankfully I head east to get home or I would have been one of the stranded. I had winter boots on, I have ski pants in my car as well as a scarf and toque. I did not have mitts with me yesterday. I have now put an extra pair in my vehicle. I often drive home with less than half a tank of gas. I do not have any food or water in my car. This incident while it had no effect on me, taught me that I need to ensure I always have sufficient gas in my vehicle as well as food and water. I will be adding the food and water as soon as I can get to the grocery store to pick it up.
While I don't agree at all at how the OP worded his "rant" I know there is a lesson here for all of us.
Alvin Hansen

Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 236

Alvin Hansen
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 236

Stickler for spelling
3/7/2017 at 6:34 PM

FYI it's spelled "onus" not "owness" Adam
JessieJay
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 796

JessieJay
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 796

Another siggestion
3/7/2017 at 7:51 PM

carry an electric car blanket-this works well, just plug it into your power outlet or cigarette lighter and it warms up nicely.