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They had plenty of warnings, but they took their chances anyway.

County road crews pulled no fewer than two vehicles out of the ditch on a Class B road southeast of Estherville about 2:30 Wednesday morning - about the time when the storm was at its worst.

Secondary roads superintendent Rich Blinkmann said crews were called out by the sheriff's office.

"We got down there and pulled them out," Blinkmann said, referring to himself and foreman Ron Beaver. "It was pretty tough going. With the two machines we had to talk back and forth with each other to keep from going in the ditch. It's the visibility that we ran into."

No doubt, the scenario was running through both Blinkmann and Beaver's minds as to whether they would be stranded like a county motor grader and truck operator in the January 1975 blizzard.

While the county has a policy to not go out during whiteouts, Blinkmann said in a life-or-death situation crews have no choice.

"You don't want anybody out there freezing to death," Blinkmann said.

Fortunately, said Blinkmann, this time most people heeded weather-related announcements and stayed home.

"I think everybody pretty much stayed put," he said.

Sheriff Mike Martens noted a number of motorists stuck or stranded in the storm, including one semi that blocked Highway 4 south of Huntington Wednesday while plows and a towing service pulled the truck from a drift.

Despite having to respond to a number of calls, Martens said there were no injuries.

"I spent the morning out there in that and it was cold," Martens said.

Commenting on the party stuck on the Class B road southeast of Estherville without warm clothing or fuel, said Martens, "I strongly discourage anybody from doing anything like that. When the weather advisories are out, the best place to be is home where it's safe and warm."

"We've been very fortunate," said Terry Reekers, Emmet County Emergency Management coordinator. "People heeded the warnings. Now I know how a preacher must feel."

Reekers said there was a four-hour power outage in Gruver Tuesday night. And people were getting cold. Plans were in place to relocate the entire community to either the Regional Wellness Center or Grandview Baptist Church in Estherville. Then, 15 minutes before rescue units were to roll out for the evacuation the power came back on in Gruver.

Reekers noted wind gusts as high at 61 with steady winds from 30-35, a bad combination with eight or more inches of light, fluffy snow. "There's drifts that are 15 feet high," Reekers said.

Reekers also remarked on the extensiveness of the storm.

"I've never seen all 99 counties (of Iowa) in a blizzard warning," Reekers said.

Reekers advises people digging out from the storm to take their time when shoveling and to take frequent breaks.

And in the future, it's important to listen to weather forecasts, Reekers said.

Drawing a contrast between how well prepared crews were in the January 1975 storm and now, said Reekers, "We have a lot better equipment nowadays," Reekers said. "For every dollar of preparation you save seven dollars of recovery costs."

While getting stranded in a storm is one problem, digging out is another.

Estherville chiropractor Dr. Nick Helmich said he saw a number of patients for shoveling-related sprains and strains Wednesday morning.

Helmich's advice: "Try not to do too much. Just scoop a little but take a break."

Helmich said it's also important to stay hydrated when doing heavy shoveling or other strenuous outdoor work.