Snow Hazard: Family Stranded In Colorado Mountains Rescued, Situation Likely To Worsen

A family comprising a couple and their 12-year-old daughter was rescued from the snowy swathes of Colorado’s mountains on Christmas Eve after being stranded for 24 hours. Officials asked people to brace for worse weather conditions.

The family had started from El Paso, Texas towards Norwood, Colorado to make a furniture delivery Monday. Their rented Penske truck thereupon got stranded in San Juan National Forest due to heavy snow. The forest falls in between the 600 miles journey.

They "tried to dig the truck out, but were unsuccessful," CNN reported, citing Susan Lilly, a spokeswoman for the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office. The family would have otherwise reached Norwood in 10 hours.

"The family stayed warm by running the truck engine and covering with furniture blankets," Lilly added. The next morning, they chose to reach out for help and covered their tennis shoes with shipping plastic for easing their walk in snow.

They were reported missing Monday after failing to deliver furniture on the scheduled time although they had set off earlier on that day. The authorities were meanwhile mounting a multiagency rescue operation across three counties.

An officer of the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office, who was flying a personal aircraft as part of the search, spotted the family near Belmar Mountain Tuesday morning before 11 a.m. EST and they were rescued.

"The party told deputies they ended up on this road because their GPS told them it was the fastest route from Durango to Norwood," CNN quoted Lilly as saying.

Bill Masters, San Miguel County Sheriff, urged people living in frigid climates to stack sufficient water and food as well as warm gear in their vehicles on the assumption of such emergencies.

"People need to remember that electronic GPS systems are not always the best guide. At this time of year especially, roads like these are not always passable," Masters said.