Stranded travellers find refuge in Oakville, Portage during storm
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When a winter storm shut down the Trans-Canada Highway recently, local community hubs transformed into makeshift refuges for hundreds of stranded travellers.
The Oakville Community Club and the Herman Prior Activity Centre in Portage la Prairie opened their doors as emergency shelters on Jan. 16, after accidents and deteriorating conditions left motorists with nowhere to go.
In Oakville, what was expected to be a short afternoon stop turned into a 24-hour operation. Karen Olafason, a volunteer with the club’s fundraising committee, was called to open the hall at noon when the primary keyholder was unable to reach the building due to road closures.
“We expected this would be a couple hours, and it turned into an overnight,” Olafason said.
By Friday evening, the RCMP confirmed the highway would remain closed. Approximately 90 people stayed overnight in the hall, while others remained in their vehicles in the parking lot. Olafason said the local response to a social media plea for supplies was “overwhelming.”
“We put some Facebook posts out asking for food, snacks, bedding, toiletries … we had more than we could possibly use within a couple hours and had to take the post down,” she said.
The travellers represented a cross-section of the country, including a mother and daughter returning from dental surgery and a man moving from Victoria, B.C., to Nova Scotia with his dog.
Meanwhile, in nearby Portage la Prairie, the Herman Prior Activity Centre housed 124 motorists as local hotels reached capacity. The City of Portage la Prairie officially activated the site to ensure those trapped by the storm remained safe.
Portage la Prairie Mayor Sharilyn Knox credited city administration, the fire department and community safety officers for the rapid response.
“We’re really in times of need where we see people at their best,” Knox said. “We hope that the people who stayed in our community for the night just felt welcome and warm.”
The highways began to reopen Saturday morning, allowing travellers to resume their journeys by 10 a.m.
» Portage Graphic Leader