Former Midwest residents happy to be in the Valley

PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- Many Valley residents used to live in the Midwest, and as the region deals with record-breaking cold weather, many are happy to be in the Valley.

John Lang shared stories of what he saw in previous years.

"The train got stuck and stalled," said John. "It was there for a few days."

John also shared stories of how a group of 12 were stranded at his house.

"They stayed in our place for three days," said John.

There was also that time when John was stranded in his car for eight hours, in the cold, with his friends.

Slid in a ditch," said John. "Of course at that time, no cell phones. No way to communicate and you didn't want to get out of the automobile in fear of freezing to death."

John says while it does get cold in the Midwest, the severe weather this week is the worst he's seen in decades. He's just thankful to be in the Valley.

"We really do enjoy the friends and this weather is difficult to beat, we have a lot of wind in North Dakota," said John.