National Guard helps rescue stranded motorists in Renville, Kandiyohi Counties

Governor Tim Walz Friday activated The Minnesota National Guard to assist with rescuing motorists stranded by the winter storm.

According to The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, The National Guard used “small unit support vehicles” to rescue 22 people in Freeborn County.

There were three more rescues in Renville County where 60 people were sheltered in the armory in Olivia. In Kandiyohi County, they assisted local fire crews in rescuing 12 people.

Roads were closed in southwest Minnesota for most of Friday.

There were countless crashes and incidents of motorists leaving the road and getting stuck in the snow Friday and Saturday. In Swift County, there was a head-on collision Saturday on Hwy 12 in between Murdock and Kerkhoven and the highway was completely shut down.

(JP Cola, KWLM)