Two deaths in Teller County were attributed to last week’s snowstorm that walloped most of the Pikes Peak region, officials said during an emotional Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday morning in which they also described “Herculean” efforts displayed by road crews who battled the elements.

The storm buried much of Teller County in 35 to 40 inches of wet snow last week. The storm left the towns of Victor and Cripple Creek without power for two days, and taxed plowing and emergency services to their utmost, leading Teller County commissioners to declare a disaster emergency declaration on Friday.

The Tuesday morning update gave other county officials a chance to update the public and county commissioners Bob Campbell, Erik Stone and Dan Williams about the storm’s lingering impact.

Among the stories shared was about a county worker who was caught in a snow slide during the storm, but was rescued with the aid of the Office of Emergency Management and Teller County Search and Rescue.

Two deaths were directly related to the storm, said Steve Tomsky, Teller County coroner and co-owner of Mountain Memorial Funeral Home in Divide. One man died while shoveling snow and another person, who had medical issues, died while trying to reach his car, Tomsky said.

“This storm was about neighbors helping neighbors,” Tomsky told the Gazette. “In my 17 years of owning the funeral home, this was the biggest storm we’ve had.”

Still digging out

Located above 9,000 feet in Divide, Lori and Jim Kittle worked Tuesday morning on top of their roof to remove the remaining feet of snow from their home that the couple said has since caused a leak in their ceiling.

Living in the home for over five years, the couple said they have never witnessed so much snow at once — a total of 3 feet and 8 inches, according to Jim Kittle.

“We’ve lived here for six years and this is the first time it’s gotten this bad,” he said. “We were trapped for two days. The plows couldn’t get up the hill to our home.”

Lori Kittle , attached to the top of the house by a rope tied around her waist, reiterated her surprise at the final amount of snow received last week as she used a metal shovel to push the wall of snow and ice from the edge of the roof onto her yard below.

“Yeah, we’ve never had to come up here (the roof) before. We’ve never had to go to this extent,” Lori Kittle said.

From on top of their home, the Kittles waved to their neighbors — Norman and Sandra Mansfield .

The Mansfields , residents there for over 30 years, said they were trapped until the Kittles brought their snow blower over to the Mansfield’s for an assist Sunday morning.

The Mansfields also said they had never witnessed a similar amount of snow around Divide.

“We’ve seen it build up nice and high in years past, but never this much in one or two days,” Sandra Mansfield said.

Now retired, the Mansfields said they were lucky compared to some.

According to Norman Mansfield, the two had prepared well for the storm, going to the store for supplies days before the snow arrived. While no one is immune to cabin fever, the two said they didn’t mind their time stuck inside too much, expressing their gratitude for their neighbors’ helping hand, and snow blower.

In terms of damage, the Mansfield property was relatively unscathed, aside from the mud pit that once served as their driveway.

“I’ll have to patch up the driveway a bit this spring,” Norman Mansfield said.

“But we’ll be happy to have the water in the summer,” Sandra Mansfield added.

The county on Monday was still working to reach some people, including several vacationers who called 911 dispatch after being snowed-in at remote rental cabins without large food supplies. Commissioner Stone said the county prioritized getting to people with life-threatening emergencies over those who were just “stuck.”

“They are just not prepared for what just happened,” said Stone.

Most streets in and around Woodland Park, which received as much as 36 inches from the storm that lasted for parts of three days, were in good shape by Tuesday.

Plowing onward

According to Brad Shaw, program supervisor for the Teller County Department of Transportation, said Tuesday that the main roadways throughout the county were for the most part dry and clear.

“Right now everything’s open,” Shaw said. “There’s in-and-out access, as far as county-maintained roads go.”

Shaw said crews were focusing on pushing the snow further to widen the roads. As of Tuesday morning, 15 day-crew plow drivers were active along with one snow grader.

Three operators will remain on overnight, Shaw said.

“On a lot of these roads, we were only able to get a lane and a half open. We’re widening, and were pushing back the snow so it will melt closer to the ditch,” he said. “Then we’ll be going back to handle the mud, another issue within itself.”

According to Shaw, the county lost five plow trucks and one grader due to the weight of the wet snow.

“They’re mechanical, and they break,” Shaw said.

Lisa Matasso, a volunteer with Teller County Search and Rescue, confirmed that her organization worked with the Office of Emergency Management Director Jay Teague to help keep county workers safe during the storm, as well as helping to clear Shelf Road all the way to the Fremont County line to ensure emergency access to nearby residents.

“We also delivered gas to a mom with a disabled child who needed fuel for their oxygen concentrator,” Matasso said.