Digging out continues in North Bend after another dumping of snow

NORTH BEND, Wash. – Snowy weather is making a mess of our region including in North Bend.  It’s day three of schools being closed there, and many homeowners are still trying to dig out.

Cars are being buried under huge snow mounds like this one.  The roads just aren’t clear enough for school buses to get around.

Neal Burke and his 13-year-old son Christian make a dynamic duo.

Neal Burke and his 13-year-old son Christian dig out their car and the sidewalk nearby in North Bend.

“With the wind it just created a lot of snow drift. You can’t get your car out,” said North Bend resident Neal Burke.

Both are digging out the dumping of snow North Bend got overnight.

“There’s three feet of snow behind the cars,” said Burke.

It’s been four days out of work for Neal and three days since Christian has seen the inside of a classroom.

“The back roads as you can see are screwed,” said Burke.

But if you can get out, a lot of people are stopping by the Ace Hardware in town, but they’re fresh out of many winter supplies like salt and shovels.

“Every customer is coming in for snow shovels and ice melt,” said Brian Hutchinson with Ace Hardware.

The truck carrying the latest shipment is stuck in Ellensburg.

“Normally we’d have several tons of ice melt sitting here,” said Hutchinson pointing to an empty space in the store’s seasonal section.

So people are stocking up on whatever the store has like generators and wood pellets.  They also have a special label near garbage lids selling for two bucks to substitute as sleds.

“Everything the community wants right now we’ve got coming. We just don’t have the to transport it,” said Hutchinson.

And it seems hardly anyone can get out especially after snow plows came through.

Icicles collecting off Lorraine Swedman's home in North Bend.

“They only plow down the middle of the street,” said North Bend Resident Lorraine Swedman.

She says the plows end up packing snow on each side of the street leaving visitors stranded.

“My children had to stay overnight here last night,” said Swedman.

Lorraine Swedman cancelled her dentist appointment Wednesday after realizing she wouldn't be able to dig out her car.

But the overnight guests were welcomed company for Lorraine Swedman.

“Everybody is just kind of plugged in,” said Swedman.

But the snow caused Swedman to change her plans for the day.  She cancelled a scheduled dentist appointment for fear she couldn’t dig out her car or she would fall and hurt herself.  So instead, she decided to...

“Stay home and read a book,” said Swedman says laughing.

The father-son-team next door will do the same.

“Easy, sitting at home watching movies,” said Burke.

Ace Hardware in North Bend hopes to get its latest shipment of salt, shovels, gloves, generators, and other winter supplies Thursday.