Calgarians dig out after blizzard blows through province

Calgarians are digging out after the blizzard.

A two day blizzard has left roads a mess and drifts as high as the door in some places but most people are taking it in stride and say it's all part of winter in Alberta.

Police reported several multi-vehicle pile ups in the last 24 hours and say there have been about 176 reported crashes, 24 of which involved injuries.

"We live in Alberta so you kinda have to get over it," said one Calgarian.

"This is the biggest drift I've seen, reminds me of Edmonton 25 years ago," said Marcel who was out shoveling his walk.

"I'm from B.C. and I've really not seen a snow drift this big before," said Steve.

Emergency crews were forced to close ramps on and off main roadways so they could clear the debris from multiple crashes.

The city declared a Snow Route Parking Ban for Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. so crews can get in and clear the snow from streets.

"We're seeing a lot of drifting in specifically the northeast of Calgary and our crews will go out as they hear of trouble spots, they will go out there and try and fix some of those snow drifts but right now the focus is on those major commuter routes because we are trying to get the bulk of the city moving as quickly as possible," said Julie Yepishina-Geller from the City of Calgary Roads Department.

The city says it received about 957 service requests through 311 between 12:00 a.m. December 2 and 12:00 p.m. on December 3.

Now that the snow has stopped, the city will launch its Snow Event seven day plan and will start with priority one routes.

Environment Canada has lifted a blizzard warning for the City of Calgary and southern Alberta.

City garbage collection crews are also experiencing delays dut to the weather and officials say they are having difficulty accessing some areas.

They will try to pick up as much garbage as they can on Tuesday but say they will likely not reach every home with regular collection service.

Officials are asking those homeowners whose garbage is not collected on Tuesday to hold off until normal schedules resume next week.

They are also expecting delays for service of Wednesday.

The City of Calgary offers the following tips to drivers:

The weather has caused a few flight cancellations at Calgary International Airport. 2

You can check the status of flights HERE.