LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A growing number of Jeep drivers have pitched in during Kentucky's recent blast of snowy and icy weather.
Snow and ice-packed roads are wreaking havoc on Kentuckians desperate to move around. For Jonathan Dunn, it’s a call to action.
“We can go through anything,” Dunn said.
Since Sunday, the Jeep owner has driven hundreds of miles, criss-crossing Louisville to help anyone in a jam. His wife, Jamie, is also a Jeep owner and is one of four dispatchers helping coordinate the efforts.
“Pretty much the secondary streets have been like this nonstop," Dunn said. "This is a lot of the reason we’ve been helping people because the secondary streets do not get touched."
Dunn and his wife are organizing Jeep and 4x4 owners to help snowed-in Kentuckians, first by taking people to shelters and then transporting first responders to work, free of charge.
Dunn said Thursday, he came across a driver spinning out on an ice-covered side street and freed them with a wench mounted on his Jeep’s front bumper. In less than a week, more than 30 members of the Rough Cut Jeep Club and Stir Crazy 4x4 Club have volunteered their time and vehicles to get the city moving again, he added.
"There’s still good people that will actually go out there and lend a hand, and that’s what we’re about,” Dunn said.
He has delivered doctors and nurses to hospitals, picked up patient medications and rescued stranded drivers at every turn. Volunteer drivers are even sleeping in their vehicles while ready to help at a moment’s notice.
“The Jeep community is, like I said, amazing people ... you’re always willing to go above and beyond," Dunn said.
With more snow in Friday's forecast, Dunn said he’s in it for the long haul.
“We’re a solid team, and this has just been ... a true blessing to be able to do this stuff," he said.
With 40-inch tires and an even bigger heart, nothing is going to slow Dunn down. Check out the Rough Cut Jeep Club on Facebook for more.