Telegraph Staff Reports
Albuquerque Journal
Copyright 2007 Albuquerque Journal
TORRANCE, N.M. — The Torrance County Commission declared a state of emergency Tuesday in the aftermath of a winter storm that dumped more than a foot of snow on most of the county.
Commissioners Jim Frost, LeRoy Candelaria and Tito Chavez met for about 15 minutes in a special session in Estancia to make the declaration.
Frost said the declaration, which was also the first resolution passed by the commission in 2007, will enable the county to recoup some costs for overtime and equipment used to clear snow.
The storm left 18 inches or more in most areas, and the Sandia Peak Ski Area reported 27 inches.
Hundreds of holiday travelers were stuck in the communities along I-40 during the storm when the freeway was closed to traffic. Closures, which were enacted for long periods throughout the long holiday weekend, left most drivers with no way to reach their destinations.
Many stranded motorists spent two or three days in Clines Corners.
Clines Corners general manager Jeff Anderson said as many as 200 to 250 people slept in the restaurant or convenience store there because they had no way to leave the truck stop Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday when New Mexico State Police closed the interstate.
“People have to understand that we’re not a hotel, and they seemed to, for the most part,” he said Tuesday.
During the long, snowbound weekend, Anderson said the Clines Corners businesses never ran out of supplies.
“We got kind of close (to running out of food), but trucks got in (Tuesday),” he said. “When people get stranded, they don’t tend to be souvenir buyers, but boy they are good eaters and coffee drinkers.”
Shelters
Emergency shelters were set up in the Moriarty High School gym, the Estancia Community Center, the Encino and Willard fire departments and in Mountainair.
More than 100 people spent Thursday night in the shelter at Moriarty High.
“We had 114 (Thursday) night,” said Skip Laue, maintenance supervisor for the Moriarty Municipal Schools, on Friday. “We’ll keep it open (Friday) night and we expect about another hundred or so.”
Only about 30 travelers stayed at the Moriarty shelter on Friday night, but it ultimately remained open through Monday. Motels in Moriarty were reportedly full throughout the storm.
Torrance County emergency manager John Cordova said about 300 to 400 travelers stayed in shelters around the county between the storm’s start on Thursday evening and Monday.
Edgewood Mayor Howard Calkins said Tuesday he notified State Police that the town could open an emergency shelter in the town’s community center or fire department, but there were no takers.
“I thought there might be someone stranded with small children who needed to get out of the cold,” he said.
Travelers who stayed in the shelters were treated to a warm place to sleep, three meals a day and snacks. In Moriarty, where the Red Cross coordinated the shelter operation, travelers had access to free movies as well as cots, blankets and other essentials. Most of those staying at the shelter were directed there either by police or local business people.
Eric Johnson a Red Cross volunteer from Albuquerque who was staffing the shelter in the high school on Saturday afternoon, said the TA Travel Center in Moriarty had provided breakfast for the stranded travelers and donated plenty of coffee.
“We can’t say enough about them,” Johnson said. “They have been just fantastic. If they run out of food I don’t know what we do.”
Beth Alexander another Red Cross volunteer, helped open the shelter on Thursday evening and was still there Saturday.
“I’ve been up for about 36 hours,” Alexander said.
Johnson said 55 people spent Friday night in the Willard shelter, which was run by the Willard Fire department. Many got stuck on U.S. 60.
Torrance County Sheriff’s Sgt. Heath White said numerous vehicles were stranded on U.S. 60 between Corona and Willard.
“It’s about 45 or 50 vehicles they’ve located so far that are stuck on the road, and most have been there throughout the night,” he said Saturday.
Plowing through
On Saturday, Torrance County officials arranged for the state Department of Transportation to plow I-40 from Clines Corners to Moriarty to get numerous stranded people to the Red Cross shelter.
A Torrance County sheriff’s deputy led a caravan of vehicles from Clines Corners along I-40 to Moriarty, but officials could not say how many vehicles or people were involved.
Deputies were also bringing additional food and other supplies to the shelters throughout the county.
Garbage collection service in the county was also slowed by the snow accumulation.
Moriarty Deputy City Clerk Margie Olivas said Tuesday that Waste Management crews were taking some routes in the city, but that regular trash service will be delayed.
“They’re doing what they can ... they’re just backlogged because of the weather,” she said.
Many Torrance County residents woke up to find mounds of snow pushed into their driveways after county personnel cleared roadways.
Cordova said the county cannot legally clear snow on private driveways or roadways due to the state’s antidonation laws.
“There’s not anything we can do about that as far as removing (the snow),” he said. “We’ve kind of got to help ourselves at this point.”
If, however, there is a life-ordeath emergency or someone is not physically able to shovel the snow, Cordova said he would evaluate the situation and either he or other emergency personnel could shovel some snow.