Big dig continues after Berrien County blitzed by wind and snow

February 02, 2011|By John Paul (jpaul@wsbt.com)

BERRIEN COUNTY — Wednesday was all about snow in Berrien County as people spent the day digging out.

The Sheriff declared a road emergency. Emergency management officials said 80 percent of roads were "impassable."

Small plows, big plows, even city plows made snow removal look easy. But shoveling, tossing, loading and chucking — the old-fashioned way — helped Cheryl and Dennis Turay emerge from this blast of winter.

They loved every minute of it.

"I thought we'd get more snow than this," Dennis said. "I love snow. It's some gene. I was born with a snow gene."

Love for the snow was far and wide. Jeremy Pullins' boxer, Mack, made friends with the snow and WSBT News crews as Jeremy shoveled the driveway.

"He is crazy," Pullins said. "He's loving it out here."

Gusty winds and drifting snow were also far-reaching. Areas along the lake received almost 15 inches of snow. A gale warning remained in effect for much of the afternoon for portions of Lake Michigan.

A break in the snow made it easy for crews to keep main roads cleared. Much of the attention will soon shift to secondary roads and subdivisions.

Pullins said some roads weren't easy to navigate.

"Yeah, it was a pain. A little struggling back and forth."

Back and forth is the routine in these parts, but Cheryl Turay said there's a silver lining — or, in this case, a white lining.

"We're thankful for the beautiful sunshine instead of more snow," she said.

Dennis chimed in. The two very much thankful for each other.

"It makes it easy to get through the adversity when you've got a love mate," Turay said.

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