How to Prepare for a Blizzard & What to Do When it Hits
Nor will this article rehash trite advice about making sure you have food and toilet paper in the house. This article will assume you have sufficient intelligence to handle such basics. What this article will try to do is prepare you for what you may experience and help you find the bright side of what weather forecasters will inevitably describe as a disaster.
Adjust your Attitude, Step 1
Snow experts know that no one, not a single individual on the planet Earth, wants to be cooped up with Gloomy Gus during a blizzard. As soon as you know a blizzard is on the radar, start tinkering with your attitude adjustment controls if you know- or others tell you- you are prone to negative thinking. Complaints and gloomy predictions during a blizzard are worse than the worst four letter word. They are infectious and may result in your commitment to an isolation ward- under a deep snowbank.
It is going to snow- and snow- and snow. The roads will be impassible and the electricity may go off for days. The stores will be closed. And there’s not a #*&^!@*#^$ thing you can do about it. So let’s look on the bright side, can we?
If you’re not with us at this point, it’s time to invest in a plane ticket to the tropics. See you in the spring.
Adjust your Attitude, Step 2
For those of you who passed Step 1- we hope most of you were never gloomy at all- it is time to recognize the positive aspects of a blizzard. Blizzards bring out the best in people, according to snow experts. Neighbors gather in the street to shovel out fire hydrants and create access paths. Elderly residents get visits from neighbors concerned about their well-being. Everyone shares- whether it’s the snowblower or the proverbial cup of sugar, people somehow manage to put their supplies together to the benefit of the community.
When the first stores open and the sleds go out, people offer to shop for others.
Eventually, the plows appear. This prompts community snow shoveling parties aimed at clearing streets and uncovering vehicles trapped by the blizzard.
Owners of four wheel drive vehicles volunteer to transport hospital, fire company and police personnel to and from work.
There is rarely an occasion in life that is capable of competing with the blizzard for creating a sense of community. Enjoy this special time.
Instead of worrying about the work you are not doing or can’t do, concentrate on the present, the gift of snow brought to you in your very own blizzard, and the many ways you can enjoy it.
Get a Pair of XX Skis
Never mind if you don’t know how to cross country ski. You will figure out how, quickly enough, in a blizzard, when cross country skiing becomes the most efficient means of transportation available. You will be the envy of those less prepared when the first signs of mobility return to your blizzard bombarded community and you glide by the folks plodding along in their snow boots.
Prepare Mounds of Dry Clothing
When everyone else is rushing to the grocery store as the weather forecaster predicts the big snowy blizzard, rush to your washer and dryer. Make sure you have several clean and dry hats, pairs of pants, socks, and mittens for every member of the family. Snow ball fights, snow fort construction and shoveling lay claim to many dry clothes in a single day. You may not have the luxury of washing and drying clothes during the blizzard if your electricity goes out. Even if you do, you may miss out on blizzard fun, waiting for that interminably slow clothes dryer to finish up with your mittens.
Make sure all the blankets, comforters, and sleeping bags in the house are clean and dry in case you lose your heating.
Keep out of the Way
When the eye of the storm is upon you, driving is not going to be an option. But as the blizzard is arriving and once the plows make their initial sweep and the roads are passable, some folks are tempted to drive. If you do not have experience driving in blizzard conditions, stay off the road altogether. Leave your car behind and take public transportation home from work as the blizzard gets underway.
Driving in blizzards is no cure for boredom. Want to gawk at the snow? See what your neighbors are up to? Check whether the store is really closed like the news reporter said? That’s why you have feet. Walk. If you’re really smart, you paid attention earlier and can do your meandering on cross country skis.
When roads are barely passable, nonessential vehicles (yours, most likely) need to keep off them. Why? With limited travel capacity, the roads are needed for emergency crews- the electricians who would like to restore your electricity, the ambulances transporting heart attack sufferers to hospitals, the snow plows, the supply trucks, employees of health care facilities and essential public services… Don’t kid yourself into thinking your “need” to get out of the house justifies jumping into your vehicle and checking out the road conditions. It doesn’t.
Use Common Sense
In the Blizzard of 1978, scores of Boston students filled the emergency rooms. Why? Because their idea of fun included jumping out of 5th story windows into snow banks and sledding down long stairways. When you are out having fun in the blizzard, please use common sense and show respect for your fellow citizens. The emergency rooms are operating on skeleton staffs and have bona fide emergencies to contend with- the last thing they need is an infiltration of injured parties who never needed to be there.
The Governor Said It’s a Disaster
If your TV will turn on during the blizzard, you may notice that your state’s governor is on the news contradicting this expert advice by calling your very own blizzard a “disaster.” If it’s a disaster, can you really be expected to have fun? Shouldn’t you feel gloomy?
“What kind of an expert are you?,” you will undoubtedly think when you encounter this discordant proclamation.
News flash: our nation’s governors declare their state’s disasters every opportunity the weather gives them in order to charge the cleanup to the Federal government. Ignore the terminology and feel free to enjoy your fortuitous blizzard.
