Drivers battle lake effect snow to return home from holiday

ELKHART COUNTY — Lake effect snow met travelers trying to get home after a long holiday vacation. The plaza along the Indiana Toll Road provided much needed respite for winter weary drivers Saturday. "The waves of snow are a little scary, but the speeds drop from 70 to 58 or 60 and you have to have both hands on the wheel, certainly," said Dana Harrison. "We're figuring a cup of coffee and a bathroom stop and blue skies will get us back on the right road again," said Mike Spahn. Spahn was headed for Washington, D.C. He figured what's normally an 11 or 12 hour trip will be 13 to 14 thanks to the snow. "We've been told to prepare for the worst. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst," said Indiana State Police Trooper Chris Carlson. State troopers were prepared for a long weekend. It's also going to be a long weekend for utility repair crews. A private contractor who had just cleared the snow from the parking lot of the Granger Missionary Church at Birch and Adams Roads was leaving when his front end loader stalled causing him to smash into a power pole. "The power had flashed up in Edwardsburg as well as in St. Joe County," said Pat Weiss, utility repairman. Fortunately the driver was all right, but it knocked out power to more than 500 Indiana Michigan Power customers. Some people you might see helping out police and firefighters on bad days are members of a group called "VEST". It stands for Volunteer Emergency Service Team. They were on the scene in St. Joseph County when a power pole snapped. The volunteers stand outside in freezing weather to help out with directing traffic, or whatever they're asked to do. "It kind of gives me a chance to pay back the county for what the community had done for us," said Ray Dalgliesh, VEST member. Dalgliesh says he'll probably be busy helping out through Thursday. If you're interested in the VEST program, contact the Southwest Central Fire Territory.