Wyoming’s I-80 may seem like a no-brainer for travelers journeying across the country but, as anyone in this region knows, things can become dangerous and unpredictable in the winter. A frigid blizzard the second week of December has resulted in upgrades and connections for local and state mapping systems in Wyoming and beyond. The December blizzard caused the state transportation department to declare Wyoming closed but not all travelers got the message. On December 13th, the calls for marooned vehicles started coming in and it was soon apparent to Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Officials that there was a crisis brewing. The reports of new-to-the-area or out-of-state stuck motorists had something in common – all of them were marooned in very remote areas thanks to their GPS navigation systems. Thankfully, Sweetwater County had acquired a Hagglunds tracked rescue vehicle in 2019 and by the end of the day it was filled with travelers from Wisconsin, Washington, Texas, and California, each who were in extremely dangerous and potentially fatal circumstances had rescue workers not found them. The incident has led to improvements in communication when it comes to closures and weather alerts.
