EDITORIAL

There'll always be comparisons, but there's no holding a candle to 1978

Posted 2/2/22

This was the kind of snow that snow blowers are made for. It was dry, light and fluffy. But did we need so much of it? And then we had the wind to contend with, lots of wind. Yes, the thought that maybe this storm could get away from us crossed my mind.

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EDITORIAL

There'll always be comparisons, but there's no holding a candle to 1978

Posted

This was the kind of snow that snow blowers are made for. It was dry, light and fluffy.

But did we need so much of it? And then we had the wind to contend with, lots of wind.

Yes, the thought that maybe this storm could get away from us crossed my mind. It happened in 1978. Conditions seemed remarkably similar: snow falling at the rate of three to four inches an hour and wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph. Most threatening was the projected duration of the 2022 storm starting late Friday night and cranking until the evening hours Saturday.

In 1978, Beacon Communications operated from offices on Meadow Street in Apponaug, a short walk from where the Burger King used to be. It shared space with Beacon Press that not only printed the Beacon, but also a number of other newspapers.

The Blizzard of ‘78 hit in the early afternoon. It was near white out conditions from the beginning and had forecasting and communications improved to the level where they are today, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. There were no cell phones, no red alerts or, for that matter, calling or texting friends with photos and warnings.

I wanted a front-page photo of what was playing out.

I didn’t have far to go to catch the action.

Centerville Road at Apponaug Four Corners was always bumper-to-bumper traffic during the afternoon commute. The scene was chaotic. Cars had spun out. People, with their fingers surely freezing and their vision blurred by snow, were trying to push cars up the slight incline to the light and through the intersection. I snapped pictures and rushed back to the darkroom to process them for the edition we were readying for the press. We got the paper on the press and soon bundles were stacked by the overhead doors, ready for our drivers. Nothing was going anywhere by then. The drivers couldn’t get to the press and, even if they had, they couldn’t have completed their routes. Cars blocked roads making it impossible for plows to do their job. Soon stranded motorists appeared at our door, asking if they could use the phone, or as it turned out, spend the night where it was at least warm.

The scene flashed through my mind as Mayor Frank Picozzi turned the SUV onto Sandy Lane and headed for the department of public works. He picked me up about 10:30 Saturday. It was snowing heavily. The wind was carrying it horizontally like a ruffling sheet across the road. Utility poles and trees demarcated the road but the road’s surface was obscured. How could anyone plow this?

“White knuckle,” Picozzi said gripping the steering wheel. He knows; he’s driven plows in such conditions.

Thankfully, the Blizzard of ‘22 was not a repeat of ‘78. The storm was not as severe. Other factors came into play, the most import being communication. We knew what we could be in for and we took precautions. Crews took preparatory measures sanding the salting roads. They were ready to start plowing with the first three to four inches. The governor imposed a travel ban. Trailer trucks were off the roads. Stores closed. People hunkered down. Plows could do their job.

I found both garages busy as mechanics replaced hydraulic lines and fixed minor breakdowns. The mayor pulled his SUV into a bay. He’d gotten a message the memory was full. He stopped, shutdown and restarted. It seemed to work after that but wondered if sensors had been affected by the storm. The mayor cleaned ice from the windshield wipers. The vehicle was sprayed clean and he was ready to get back on the road.

On his way home, the mayor dropped me off. I took a page out of the plow driver’s manual, deciding the best way to stay on top of this storm was to get out the snow blower while the storm raged. I can tell you it wasn’t pretty. Snow was flying and after cutting through one drift by the time I’d cleared the second the first was back, albeit not as imposing.

Yes, it was great snow for snow blowers. But as I’m sure many others can attest, once every several years is enough for a storm like this. And my guess no matter what happens, the Blizzard of ‘78 and the week to ten days it took to reopen the state won’t be surpassed. Hopefully not.

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