Blog #3 - ND Heroes!

I found a story in the Fargo Forum that caught my attention. Partly because of the severe weather we’ve had in North Dakota the last TWO months without human fatalities because of the weather until just this past week. A 40+ year old man was found frozen to death recently. He had few cloths on, indicated he was suffering from hypothermia, which caused his death. And now a second incident that could have been fatal but was not.
A graduate school couple (nationality unknown but their names could suggest they are not North Dakota born) from UND were using their Global Positioning System (GPS) to locate a rural North Dakota home to rent/buy. With limited reception because of the grade of the land and few transfer towers, they turned the direction the GPS directed them. Unfortunately, they ended up stuck on a typical ND prairie trail. It was 4 degrees below zero with 15 mile an hour winds. All the signs for tragedy to strike were there.
They did everything right if there is such a thing if you are traveling in rural ND in sub zero conditions. They called for help with their cell phone although the service was not functioning 100%. Even with limited service the 911 operator knew they were in trouble. They had a full tank of gas with half of it left when they were found. They had winter clothing on to keep warm and were able to keep their vehicle running. They had their hazard lights blinking. And they were in North Dakota where authorities will risk their own lives to keep us safe.
The article reports that County Sherriff’s deputies from Grand Forks, Steele, Trail, and Nelson Counties were involved in the search. A U.S. Border Patrol Helicopter and a local farmer also assisted with the search and rescue. Wow! Check out the area the Grand Forks Border Patrol has to cover.
Now consider the weather in North Dakota and the history of lives lost in hazardous winter weather. Temperatures can be so extreme and adding the wind chill can be devastating. Sounds like another good reason to increase the amount of transmission towers to keep everyone who enters our state safe. It’s easy to get mixed up when you in rural ND whether you were raised here or not. Tragedy could have struck but our dedicated public servants kept going until they could guarantee a safe ending to this story. I hope all in need have people like this on the other end of the phone when they call 911. Kudos to North Dakota County Sherriff deputies, U.S. Border Patrol, and local farmers – where would we be without them?!