An Easy Winter, Except South of Here

I've been following the news stories about the "great storm" that's hit the eastern seaboard and areas west of it during the past two days. People who never have had to contend with 20-30 inches of snow have no idea of the impact such a storm makes. Transportation is basically halted; power goes out in many areas; and, emergency services are taxed to the limit.

How would you like to experience heart attack symptoms when ambulances cannot make it through the streets, or be a weak 90 year old person who loses power and cannot keep her home warm? Those who can cope think a storm like this is fun, but there are others for whom it results in tragedy. During the three years when I managed our local ambulance corps I saw the unusual problems that a storm can bring; how about an otherwise smart person who runs a generator in a closed garage and almost kills himself, for example?

I remember taking the Xerox corporate jet into White Plains airport, just as a big storm like this hit Connecticut. Somehow I made it to the hotel where I spent the next three days as the city dug out from over 20 inches of snow. Another time, I was at a church retreat in the southern tier of New York when over 20 inches of snow hit; we enjoyed an extra day there and upon arrival at home found our 19 year old son exhausted from shoveling our long driveway. Big snows are truly paralyzing!

It seems strange to be sitting here in upstate New York watching a few snowflakes fall onto the 2-3 inches that have been on the ground for a few days, while people far south of me are trying to cope with a blizzard. We are used to the big snows and we are equipped to deal with them; we've had 62 inches already and hardly noticed it. But, how many people in D.C. own a snowblower? Good luck, you guys! I can at least imagine your pain.