Big dig begins after Quebec slammed with record-setting blizzard

A major cleanup is underway in Quebec after a record-setting snowstorm that left hundreds stranded on a highway in Montreal and many schools, universities and daycares closed across the province.

A total of 40 centimetres has fallen inMontreal since the snow began Tuesday, while other parts of the province were digging out fromas much as70 centimetres of snow.

ManyflightsatTrudeauairport were cancelled or delayed, and most school boardsin the province were closed Wednesday.

Schools are expected toreopen Thursday, including those in the English Montreal School Boardand Lester B. Pearson School Board.

Storm claims at least 4lives

Across the province, at least four people died as a result of the powerful winter storm.

• Two men died after being trapped in their snow-covered vehicle overnight on the main street ofSaint-Pierre-de-la-Rivire-du-Sud, in the Chaudire-Appalaches regionabout an hour northeast of Quebec City.

One of the men called 911 at around 11:30 p.m., but police efforts to reach the vehicle by cruiser, snowmobile and finally wading through the deep, driving snowdidn't succeed until just before daybreak. By the timethe vehicle was finally located at 6a.m., the men, 33and 41, were already dead.

• A man in his 50s was killed around 6 a.m. inSaint-Anselme, about 40 kilometres south of Quebec City, when he was struck by a snow-clearing vehicle.
  
• A 40-year-old truck driver died after a fiery crash involving at least seven transport trucks forced the closure of Highway 20 nearSaint-Zotique, just east of the Ontario border,during rush hour on Tuesday. A three-kilometre stretch of the highway's westbound lanes remain closed on Wednesday evening, as the cleanup of a toxic spill from one of the tanker-trucks continues.

The stormled to a number of other accidents and some major crashes, including a50-vehicle pileup on Highway 10 near Magog.

300 stranded overnight in Montreal's west end

Roughly 300 vehicles were stuck on a stretch of Highway 13 near Montreal's Lachineborough after a truck went off the road at about 7 p.m., their drivers and passengers left stranded overnight.Provincial police, helped by Montreal firefighters, didn't begin clearing the highway untilaround 4:30Wednesday morning.

• DETAILS ON CLOSURES HERE |CBC Montreal Storm Centre
• Your photos of Montreal buried under a foot of snow
• What went wrong on Highway 13, where at least 300 were stranded overnight?

Lee-AnnKovacic, a bartender, was among those who spent the night in her car. She told CBC News that police walked along the highway knocking on car windows, tellingdrivers one by one to turn around and drive the opposite way.

Drivers stuck on Highway 13 for hours

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Some drivers on Highway 13 in Montreal were left stranded overnight.

"There's no way to get off the 13, and once you were there, you're just stuck," she said. "At one point, there was this man walking over with a thermos full of coffee handing it to everybody in the cars."

What went wrong on Highway 13?

The night-longsaga had officials scrambling to explain the slow response in a province used to major snowfalls.

A furious Mayor DenisCoderreblamed Quebec's TransportMinistry for its failure to co-operate in a timely way with the city administration.

"I think the situation was unacceptable,"Coderresaid.

Speaking in Quebec City, Premier PhilippeCouillardsaidthe responsewas "lacking co-ordination."

He said the storm was "exceptional" but that means it deserved "an exceptional response."

"We have to take the lessons from this situation and do better much better next time," he said.

Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux vowed to get to the bottom of what happened within 48hours.

"They don't defend the undefendable," Coderrerespondedlater in the day."But they are looking for answers."

Snow-clearing begins

In Montreal, major arteries had been cleared of snow by mid-morning, even as the snow continued to fall.

With the snow finally petering out, snow-clearing equipment will be out in force in Montreal beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The city said 2,200 snow-clearing vehicles are to be out on the streets.

The mayor urged residents to stay home or take the Metro.

Montreal's public transit agency, the STM, warned commuters to expect delays.More than 200buses were stuck in some parts of the city, and the STM said 100drivers were unable to make it to work themselves Wednesday morning.

'Exceptional' storm, provincewide

The storm dumped nearly 60 centimetres on some parts of the Eastern Townships, while theMontrgieand Bois-Francareaswere hit with 75 centimetres.

In Quebec City, Champlain Boulevard, amajor thoroughfarethat runs along the Saint-Lawrence River,is partially closed to traffic due to flooding.

Quebec City police are asking drivers to avoid the area. Highways 20 and 138 north of Quebec City were closed to traffic, while Highway 132 in theGasp wasclosed almost the whole way around the peninsula.

More than 35,000Hydro-Qubecclients were without power across the province Wednesday evening.

Got a story from the storm? Send it to webquebec@cbc.ca