By Tim Engstrom and Ed Shannon, staff writers

One of the two people who were killed Sunday when their 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe went off the icy surface of Interstate 90 just west of Austin is from Albert Lea.

The Minnesota State Patrol on Monday identified Michelle L. Pederson, 35, as a resident of Albert Lea. Leonard Kasten, 69, of Stewartville, was the other person in the sport-utility vehicle, the State Patrol reported.

Kasten was listed on the report as the driver of the Tahoe, which went into the median at about 9:15 p.m. Sunday and rolled over.

The vehicle was westbound and near mile marker 175 just west of the Freeborn County line when the accident occurred, the patrol&8217;s report said.

The blustery snowstorm struck northern Iowa and southern Minnesota on Sunday and continued into the evening. In fact, northbound drivers reported sunny skies in Iowa until they passed Clear Lake or other cities about that far north. There were small, dry snowflakes falling, but the main culprit were the winds. The National Weather Service said winds at the Albert Lea airport were near 25 mph with gusts up to 37 mph.

This limited visibility and sent automobiles into ditches. People were stranded at Albert Lea hotels and at the Country Inn & Suites near the Diamond Jo Casino seven miles west of Northwood, Iowa. The hotel is at Exit 214 of I-35.

&8220;It was just chaos,&8221; said Marge Tenold.

She and Amanda Thompson worked the front desk of the hotel as they filled 102 rooms. People had to stay in the meeting rooms and one family stayed Sunday night in the exercise room.

Tenold said the Iowa State Patrol rescued people from the freeway ditches and brought them to the hotel. It was fortunate so many people survived, she said.

&8220;People walked away from all those wrecks,&8221; Tenold said.

The front line of the storm shifted through the day. Some hit it closer to the

casino and some hit it closer to Clear Lake. Wherever that line was, that&8217;s where drivers suddenly had to slow down because of reduced visibility.

And that&8217;s where many wrecks occurred.

Husband-and-wife travelers Mike Toman, 49, and Suganda Kuncharee, 37, and their son hit that wall of blowing snow near mile 208, about four miles south of Diamond Jo.

They were driving 70 mph north from Austin, Texas, and heading to see family at Salem Corners near Rochester. Toman&8217;s visibility reduced and he said he couldn&8217;t slow the Ford Explorer fast enough. Kuncharee suffered a separated shoulder and the two rode in an ambulance to Albert Lea Medical Center while their son stayed at the Diamond Jo Country Inn & Suites with all their luggage.

She ended up with her arm in a sling, and they stayed the night at the Albert Lea Armory. Gov. Tim Pawlenty that night authorized the use of the National Guard Armory to provide a refuge for stranded travelers. All of the hotels in Albert Lea were packed.

&8220;People here are very accommodating,&8221; Toman said.

The American Red Cross chapter in Albert Lea was on hand to assist travelers. Director Jeanie Opdahl said law enforcement called the Red Cross at 8:45 p.m. Sunday and she and her crew were there by 9:30 p.m.

She said the Armory accommodated 54 travelers with cots. The Red Cross served snacks and provided coffee and water, with a breakfast Monday morning.

Many left right after breakfast.

&8220;As soon as it was daylight, they were anxious to go see family,&8221; Opdahl

said.