The road was snow packed with fallen trees. (Jayda Favel/Facebook)

By Derek Cornet

Weird Weather

Buffalo Narrows family caught in snowstorm rescued by volunteers

Oct 16, 2020 | 5:10 PM

Three residents of Buffalo Narrows are safe after a sudden snowstorm stranded them at a cabin at Carswell Lake.

Brian and Shelly MacDonald, along with their three-year-old granddaughter, had spent a couple weeks at the cabin before they decided to head home earlier this week. The snowstorm hit Oct. 11 and 12, which was around the same time the couple decided to head back home.

Carswell Lake is located 270 kilometres from La Loche. Most of the road is maintained by the provincial government, but a short portion of it turns into a bush road.

“They contacted us through satellite wifi,” Jayda Favel, the couple’s daughter said. “They just told us there was a big snowstorm and they were actually supposed to come home that day. They packed up, headed home and they realized how many trees were on the road. The trees were actually falling while they were driving, so my dad thought it was just safer to turn around and stay at camp rather than get stuck somewhere in the middle of the road with no communication.”

On Wednesday, Favel’s brother Jeremy and four other men drove out to the road and realized clearing it to Carswell Lake would be a larger job than they could handle. That’s when Favel put out a plea for help on Facebook asking locals for their assistance.

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The next day, Jeremy and a group of volunteers including residents of La Loche and Buffalo Narrows, along with Dene trackers, began clearing the snow and trees from the road. Favel noted it took about 24 hours to reach the cabin as the crew arrived there about 9 a.m. this morning.

Volunteers worked throughout the night clearing the road. (Jayda Favel/Facebook)

“My parents have had a camp out there for years and nothing quite this crazy has ever happened,” she said. “It kind of makes you realize how quickly things can turn for the worst. We don’t know what the outcome could have been had people not taken the initiative to come out and help considering it was such a big job.”

Favel would like to thank everyone who assisted in rescuing her parents, noting it wouldn’t have been possible without all the help. She is, however, unhappy with the response by the La Loche RCMP.

“The officers I was in touch with did really nothing,” Favel said. “Ken Roth and his crew took initiative on their own and just made their own path without the guidance of the RCMP because they wouldn’t do anything. They just kept telling me there were no resources to help.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno