Abbotsford brothers praised for helping neighbours in need

Luke and Adam Woods are the type of men you’d love to have as friends when stranded in a blinding snowstorm with no help on the horizon.

The Abbotsford brothers, who clear snow for a living, were en route to clearing a parking lot late Sunday when they found out their neighbour Troy Rowand and his daughter were stuck in whiteout conditions on a road in Sumas-Prairie, a rural part of Abbotsford that was hit particularly hard by gale-like winter weather over the weekend.

So they detoured to Vye Road to get to Rowand’s truck.

“It was whiteout, hard blowing, snowing with big drifts and we had to plow out 300 metres of snow to get to the cars,” said Luke, 35, of their decision to save Rowand. “Nobody could get to them. We helped two of them get out. The other car had a husband and wife.”

For Rowand, seeing the Woods was like a “breath of fresh air, overwhelming. Those boys are so determined if they say they’re going to do something. They’ll make it happen. It was tears of joy (when they showed up).”

Rowand said he and his daughter spent 11 hours in the truck and the snow had reached the top of the hood. The Woods finally reached them Monday at 2 a.m.

“By then, my daughter was crying. They cleared the snow in front of me and I drove out.”

Abbotsford police commended people like the Woods for helping out.

“We’re thanking farmers and residents who helped our officers dig these people out and make sure they were warm and safe,” said Const. Ian MacDonald, noting officers had to go on foot to get to people trapped in vehicles.

“About eight cars and 20 occupants were stuck in whiteout conditions and they needed help. It was a real community effort.”

A snowfall warning was in effect for the Lower Mainland through Monday with bands of snow streaming across southern Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland Monday afternoon.

Environment Canada meteorologist Matt MacDonald said Lower Mainland residents should get a respite from the snow Tuesday and most of Wednesday before more snow rolls in again Wednesday night.

MacDonald said temperatures will rise Thursday to a high of 5 C, although “it will likely be another challenging commute Thursday morning.”

All schools in Mission and Chilliwack, along with all University of the Fraser Valley campuses, will remain closed Tuesday because of the high snow volume and severe weather and road conditions.

Total snowfall from Friday to Sunday in Abbotsford was 57 cm; Pitt Meadows 41 cm; Vancouver International Airport 24 cm; Surrey 37 cm; and Squamish 30-40 cm