The area was hit with a severe snowstorm that began Jan. 27 and dumped up to two feet in some areas. But the real troubles began when winds blew that snow into drifts, trapping some people in their remote homes. Roads were closed because of the drifts and schools throughout the area shut down because school buses couldn't make it to their stops. By Friday, the Moriarty and Estancia school districts had reopened their schools. The Moriarty district let parents know that buses would run only on roads that had been cleared.
Parents have to take their children to the nearest cleared road.
It could be weeks before we can get the buses down some of those roads. Moriarty district students have missed six days this winter because of snow, Stowe said. District officials have not yet determined whether the time away from class will have to be made up, or how that would be done, she said. Students in the Estancia district also have missed six days, said Estancia Superintendent Carolyn Allen-Renteria. But now we'll probably go until 3 p.m. and that will take care of it.