Snow and icy conditions Jan. 29 resulted in Anniston Army Depot�'s commander granting liberal leave that day and closing the installation Jan. 30 and 31. The weather also created beautiful scenery, as can be seen in this photo of a Stryke...

ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- Snow and icy conditions Jan. 28 resulted in the depot commander granting liberal leave that day and closing the installation Jan. 29 and 30. The snowstorm, which began about 9 a.m., moved in quickly with snow and ice accumulating on the roadways before 11 a.m.

Road closures and traffic accidents abounded in the surrounding communities as emergency personnel responded to deteriorating road conditions.

Once the liberal leave policy was announced, depot employees began to depart for home. However, for some, the drive home took more than 24 hours. Bernard Harris and Tonya Hollis both had commutes that lasted well into the afternoon of Jan. 29.

Hollis, an Anniston Munitions Center employee, was stranded on I-20 overnight. She befriended a fellow motorist who assisted her with charging her phone and kept in contact with her.

"Even though I was stuck, God put someone in my path," she said.

Harris, an employee of the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, and his fellow vanpool participants were stranded on I-20 for four and a half hours. They were assisted Tuesday night by a local church.

"One of the biggest things I heard from everyone was how people served each other," he said.

Sandy Theil, who works in the installation's Dear Occupational Health Clinic, stayed with a few of her coworkers at the clinic because road conditions were too hazardous to go home.

"I've only seen snow move in this quickly one other time in my life, when I was in junior high," said Theil, who was finally able to leave the depot and return home Jan. 30.

Several employees from the depot's Directorate of Public Works responded to the storm by either staying at work throughout the event or coming in to assist with repairs.

Randy Freeman was among them. He was able to go home Jan. 28, but returned the 30th to assist with numerous broken water and steam lines.

"I'll remember the broken water lines creating icicles and looking like a winter wonderland," he said.