Dangerous ice shelves blanket Great Lakes shoreline
It’s one long ice shelf as far as the eye can see, off the shores of Kincardine, Ont.
“Enjoy it, look at it, take pictures of it, but it’s not something to play on,” says Const. Kevin Martin of the South Bruce OPP.
Martin says officers in his jurisdiction have gotten several reports of people out walking on the ice shelves this winter, which cover the shores of most Great Lakes communities on either side of the border, and can be as much as six to 10 feet deep at their peak.
“That’s the most dangerous part, because these mounds could be hollow underneath. The peaks of them is where the ice is likely to be the thinnest. So, if you fall in, you’ve now got a six feet or more reach to the peak. It’s virtually impossible to climb out on your own,” says Dave Benjamin, director with the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, based out of Illinois.
“For emergency responders, there is moving water underneath these shelves. So when you fall through these holes you fall into that moving water, you’re not where the hole is,” said Martin. “Seconds count, you need help right away and we just can’t find you that fast. So, please, please, don’t walk on that shelf ice.”
Last year, 98 people drowned in the Great Lakes and since 2010, 1,044 have lost their lives, according to Benjamin. While most of those deaths happen in the summer months, winter water deaths can happen as well.
“If you fall through that ice and you get pulled by that current there is no rescue. It’s unfortunately game over,” says Benjamin.
If there is one good thing about the ice shelves, it’s that they are protecting the Great Lakes shoreline from erosion this winter. The past few years, shorelines were unprotected and got battered by high, raging water.
“With the high levels coming down, and the ice shelves building up, we are going to see some beach restoration occur naturally,” says Benjamin.
So, appreciate the ice shelves for what they’re doing, but don’t venture out onto them, say both Martin and Benjamin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Here's what 'the hinge' move is, how to do it correctly
When you're picking something up from the floor or bending over to tie your shoe laces, you're performing "the hinge move," according to movement trainers.