Stranded ranchers and rural residents in wind-and-snow-blasted Park County received food and medical deliveries Tuesday by Sno-Cat and snowmobile as the county prepared for another wintry blast.
A state of emergency was declared there Monday. By Tuesday morning, assistance from across the state had arrived in Fairplay, where the rescue efforts are based, said Mike Roll, chief of the North-West Fire Protection District, which serves South Park.
Sixteen “priority” rescue missions were carried out Tuesday as the Sno-Cats and snowmobiles broke through to rural homesteads with critically needed supplies, Roll said.
He said about 30 people live in the homes.
About 70 other residents in South Park were stranded by deep snow that has drifted to about 25 feet in height. But they told emergency-management personnel that at the present time, they were OK, Roll said.
“Over time, we need to make sure they are OK and get them out,” he said.
Roll said the rescue operations extended from Kenosha Pass on the eastern side of South Park to the area around the town of Hartsel.
Winds of 40 to 60 mph are expected over the next few days, and another snowstorm will dump up to 8 inches in the area, Roll said.
He said that with more snow and high winds in the forecast, Park County residents are encouraged to stock extra stores of food, fuel and necessary medications and, if possible, should make every effort to collect those necessities before the next storm, in case conditions block access roads. Residents in South Park needing assistance should call 719-836-4160.
Katherine Sanguinetti, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Corrections, said the DOC is sending eight staff members and eight inmates to Park County with heavy equipment to help clear the snow. All the inmates are experienced heavy-equipment operators and will work 12-hour shifts. She said the DOC also is opening an emergency-support center in Colorado Springs to coordinate activities in Park County.
Roll said that so far, only a small number of cattle fatalities on South Park ranches have been reported.
He added: “It appears the ranchers are well-prepared and able to take care of their cattle.”
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
