‘No movement at all’: Snowstorms in Ontario’s cottage country strand motorists, drop more than a metre of snow

This photo provided by the Ontario Provincial Police shows vehicles stranded on Highway 11. Communities in cottage country north of Toronto continued to dig out Sunday after multiple days of intense snowstorms stranded motorists on Highway 11 and left thousands in the dark. Hamilton resident Dan Vucic told the Star he has been stuck on the highway in Gravenhurst, Ont. — which has seen a whopping 140 centimetres of snow since Friday, according to Environment Canada — for over 24 hours. “OPP police on snowmobiles passed by and they said be ready for a long wait,” Vucic told the Star over the phone Sunday afternoon, before adding “there’s not much I can do now, just wait on the highway.” Vucic has a bed and plenty of food prepared in his truck and said, “I’ve been stuck before, I never leave unprepared.” “It’s probably about two and a half feet. There’s no movement at all,” Vucic said. He said he doesn’t think he’ll be out until Monday. Gravenhurst was one of the hardest hit communities from the multi-day “lake-effect snow squall event” that Environment Canada has been warning about since Friday, leading the town to declare a state of emergency. Mayor Heidi Lorenz says she has never seen this much snow in her 27 years as a resident. “The snow banks outside my home, mind you I’m not very tall, but they’re as tall as I am. In two days we got that much snow,” said Lorenz. Lorenz decided on the emergency declaration — the first time she’s done so as mayor — around 2 a.m. Sunday morning after realizing Highway 11 was not opening up anytime soon and many people were still stranded. It was unclear how many people were still stranded as of Sunday, though an OPP police spokesperson suggested some had been stuck overnight. Police and city officials have not reported any serious injuries due to the storm. People who requested help had been pulled from the highway by Sunday morning as work continued into the afternoon to tow the last abandoned cars, said Brookyln Harker, OPP Central Region’s media relations co-ordinator. Premier Doug Ford said the province was working closely with local authorities to help them respond to the storm. Ford said he was relieved no injuries or deaths had been reported. “As cleanup crews continue their work, the best thing people in the area can do is stay home and stay safe until power is restored and roads and highways have been safely opened again,” he said in a statement posted to social media. Highly recommended visit this source link to know more!