HELP! Anyone with Connections to the State Police or PennDot? (Carlisle: hotels, home)

[Hopes]

My husband is still stranded in the mountains.

He has been there since early afternoon yesterday (almost 24 hours now), and it doesn't look like anyone is ever going to save him.

He is a half a mile from the turnpike entrance near Shippinsburg.

There are two tractor trailors stuck and blocking the road between him and the turnpike entrance.

Since he has been stopped for so long, he is now snowbound, not just needing the road cleared. The snow drifts are over six feet high.

He can see the Turnpike is open. Snow plows keep coming off the exit only to turn around and get back on the Turnpike.

I fear he might be there until Spring thaw!

If anyone has connections to send help, I'll find out the name of the road and the turnpike entrance--his exact location.

This is an isolated Turnpike exist that doesn't have any businesses except for a convenience store on the other side of the exist. Not sure if it's open. He's walking to it now.

[greg42]

I was thinking that was a pretty isolated interchange. I don't believe I've ever entered or exited the turnpike there, just passed by, but I don't recall it having a ton of businesses like Carlisle or Breezewood.

Seems like getting over by the turnpike entrance is a good idea. There will be more traffic, etc, although I know there is much more snow over that way.

Honestly getting home or getting to a better place to hole up (a hotel somewhere?) probably should take precedence over getting the car out. Getting the car out could still be a day or two away given the condition of the road as you described.

What happened to the truck drivers and drivers of other cars there? A group of people acting in concert should be more effective than one or two individuals.

Problem is Shippensburg is some 10 miles away and on small roads. These will not be a high priority. All the infrastructure for getting cars and trucks out of there is going to have to come from Shippensburg, or off the turnpike.

Also keep in mind, one of the problems is Turnpike maintenance is separate from PennDOT. That's why you'll see things like plows that exit and reenter the turnpike. They only clear the turnpike. Maybe once that is clear enough they will help, but you know how that bureaucracy stuff is....

[greg42]

This must be the advisory here: The Pennsylvania Turnpike - Construction

Or somewhere nearby.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by greg42

I was thinking that was a pretty isolated interchange. I don't believe I've ever entered or exited the turnpike there, just passed by, but I don't recall it having a ton of businesses like Carlisle or Breezewood.

Seems like getting over by the turnpike entrance is a good idea. There will be more traffic, etc, although I know there is much more snow over that way.

Honestly getting home or getting to a better place to hole up (a hotel somewhere?) probably should take precedence over getting the car out. Getting the car out could still be a day or two away given the condition of the road as you described.

There aren't any hotels or motels near the interchange. I'm going to call the Chamber of Commerce to see if there is one within a reasonable distance. But the State Police said to STAY PUT. Seems that the State Police want someone with the vehicle when they get there. They leave one guy behind when they venture out.

They walked to a convenience store that's between them and the turnpike entrance (I thought it was the other direction), but it was closed. While they were gone, the Amish guy came to ask someone they left behind with the vehicle if they wanted more food. He said no because he thought they were brining food back from the convenience store. I hope the Amish guy comes back sometime today. Not sure if they can figure out where he lives.

Originally Posted by greg42

What happened to the truck drivers and drivers of other cars there? A group of people acting in concert should be more effective than one or two individuals.

My husband is in a group of three men. They have had no luck getting the truck drivers to join together with them on a group effort. One is a Mexican that doesn't speak English. The other is an anti-social Muslim who refuses food from the Amish guy. They aren't even pulling together as two truck drivers, let alone working with my husband's group.

Originally Posted by greg42

Problem is Shippensburg is some 10 miles away and on small roads. These will not be a high priority. All the infrastructure for getting cars and trucks out of there is going to have to come from Shippensburg, or off the turnpike.

Any stranded people are top priorities since people froze to death in a previous storm last year.

Originally Posted by greg42

Also keep in mind, one of the problems is Turnpike maintenance is separate from PennDOT. That's why you'll see things like plows that exit and reenter the turnpike. They only clear the turnpike. Maybe once that is clear enough they will help, but you know how that bureaucracy stuff is....

Yeah, we learned that. PennDot and the State Police are repsonsible for where my husband is located.

They want to walk through the woods to the Turnpike Plaza that's two miles away. That plan scares me to death!

[greg42]

Yow, yeah, I did see that there's a turnpike service plaza near there. That's tough though. I was thinking there were more than just a few people.

Obviously someone knows enough that the road is closed. I was hoping the store was open since they might know a state trooper or two, etc.

Damn.

I can say walking through the woods for 2 miles sounds like a plan for disaster. There's like 4 feet of snow on the ground! That'll take hours.

Have you tried calling the State Police stations directly? Here's a list for that region: Troop H

Carlisle is closest, although Chambersburg is the one that's in the same county. I don't know if they care about county lines or not; they shouldn't. Carlisle much easier to get there.

I know there are no hotels in the immediate area. The easiest to get to would be a ride down the turnpike to Carlisle. This would likely be easier to get to at the moment than Shippensburg, which would need to use back roads. Not a slam dunk though, all depends upon how stuff was cleared (just like around here).

But, then, if they're saying they need to stay with the car.... argh. Lameness. Get some help the eff out there if they're going to demand that. If they're gone, the cars will be towed I suppose. In some ways that might be preferable!

[Hopes]

There was one car behind them last night. It disappeared at some point. They have no idea what happened to the guy.

A family member has already been in contact with the Carlisle Barracks. (Sister's brother in law is a State Police officer.) That's how we learned it could be another 48 hours.

They know they're there. They said they tried to get to them last night but couldn't because snow drifts are up to 10 feet high.

Last night, the National Guard was dispatched to a different interstate where there were 40 cars stranded. Not sure if the National Guard is trying to get to hubby or not.

His cell phone only has two bars. I tried to call him to warn him to write down my cell number so he could reach me if his phone dies. He isn't answering anymore. I assume he's trying to conserve the battery. I'm worried that it might not have occurred to him that he doesn't know my number. (That's what sucks about cell phones. We don't know phone numbers because we never dial them since they're stored in our phones!)

[Hopes]

Snow plows just reached them! It will be quite a while before they are moving though. Hopefully, I'll see him tonight.

I have a feeling my sister was very persuasive when she talked to the State Police.

[greg42]

That's more like it. Should be plenty of time to get home tonight.

[Hopes]

It's going to take many hours to clear the road for my husband to start moving.

And those two truck drivers disappeared. The road workers are trying to locate them.

They said if they didn't find them, they're going to push their tractor trailers off of the road.

I guess that's why the State Police say that you should stay with your vehicle. That and the fact someone could die walking around in the weather.

My husband says the snow is waist deep and snow drifts are up to 10 feet high.

[fleetiebelle]

Dang, Hopes! At least things appear to be happening. Good thoughts for your husband getting home safely.