warm. Ontario Hydro noted some power outages lasted 72 hours; it took an average of 24 hours to get power restored for some larger customers. The depth of drifts in the hardest hit areas was extreme. Snowmobilers reported passing over vehicles, as well as onto the roof of a house, without knowing it, and snowmobiling over the top of a school bus without being able to see its roof. In the Long Beach area, snow reached the power lines, with people stepping over and rolling under them, and only the chimneys of houses were visible above the snow. Along the lakeshore in Wainfleet, the mayor reported drifts up to , and in Lowbanks, a military officer reported drifts of with only the steeple of a church visible. One drift estimated at remained until June 1, while snow banks reportedly lasted until the first week of June in the Cedar Bay area. Snowmobiles were widely used to deliver aid and provide transportation. Niagara Regional Police Service enlisted the help of 60 snowmobiles and 15 four-wheel drive vehicles for use for regular police calls, as well as to deliver food and medication. Snowmobiles were also used to transport doctors and nurses, and Ontario Hydro workers. In Fort Erie, where the storm deposited , , and of snow on the four days, snowmobiles were being dispatched from all six fire halls to provide aid. Citizens band (CB) radio operators were used by the Niagara Regional Police for communication. The radio station CHOW facilitated communication by allowing people to call in and air needs on the radio, a role confirmed via a plaque from the Port Colborne Chamber of Commerce and scrolls from the Welland Chamber of Commerce. The Canadian Forces assisted in the situation under police direction. For example, the mayor of Port Colborne requested military assistance from the Emergency Measures Organization in St. Catharines that resulted in an Army Reserve Battalion being sent and militia assisting in searching for stranded motorists. In a deployment headquartered at the Regional Police Station in Niagara Falls and stationed at the Lake Street Armoury in St. Catharines and the Niagara Falls Armoury in Niagara Falls, 156 reserves militia and 9 regular force soldiers helped in disaster relief. Regional authorities requested military assistance in the afternoon of January 29, and the first unit was called at 3:30 pm, with 130 employed in the operation by the next