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When snowstorms occur combined with winds
over 35 miles an hour and snowfall of at least 20 inches
they are, of course, blizzards. Within my memory as the
worst was the blizzard of 1978. More than 27 inches fell in
Boston, 28 inches fell in Providence. Fifty four people died
for various reasons as the result of that blizzard. Cars
were left stranded on the major highways - some for days.
While the exact temperature has been lost in my memory I do
remember the following days were fairly warm, so that
freezing to death at home was not an issue, at least for my
family. Shoveling the snow seemed an endless task. Today, I
am so grateful to be living in this village where the
snowplows and snow workers do such a wonderful job of
cleaning the roads, driveways and even my front porch.
My grandmother was born in 1874. When I knew
her she was only 4 feet 11 inches tall and remarked more
than once that she bore at least two babies over 11 lbs.
each. In 1888 she was a mere slip of a girl at 14 years old
when the worst blizzard of the 19th and 20th centuries
combined occurred, at least in terms of loss of life. Four
hundred people died in that March 12-14 blizzard. Twenty to
thirty foot drifts occurred. When she looked out of her
first floor window on the morning of the 13th on the farm in
Middlebury, Connecticut she couldn't see a thing. Snow piled
up against the house and blocked the windows and both
entries to the house. When she and her grandmother with whom
she lived went up to the second floor they could barely see
out the window to the barn and noticed that the barn door
was relatively free of snow. By now the milk cow was bawling
for someone to please come milk her. The chickens were in
need of some chicken feed. And other animals as well needed
tending. With no man in the house, she did what any tough
Yankee girl would do. She tied a rope around her waist, and
to the bed post, opened the second story window, crawled out
and headed to the barn. She never relayed how difficult this
must have been but one can just imagine her sinking into the
snow and struggling forward through the deep snow. The
animals were tended and then she set to work clearing snow
to the front door.
We are in a new century now and can only
wonder when the next blizzard of the century will occur.
With our modern 21st century homes here in the Village, we
have a different set of issues that rise in the event of a
dangerous storm. We can neither heat nor cook in these all
electric homes. So what should we do in the case of a winter
storm and loss of electricity? I looked at different sources
on the Internet for advice and they seemed to provide
similar ideas. Prepare ahead with flashlights and extra
batteries. A battery operated radio was frequently
mentioned. Keep food supplies such as canned food on hand as
these can be eaten without heating. Use of a fireplace is
fine, yet remember a fireplace draws oxygen at a tremendous
rate and can draw cold air in resulting in some rooms
becoming colder than they would have been without use of a
fireplace. Several articles warned against using kerosene
heaters or camping stoves in enclosed rooms which could
likely result in carbon monoxide poisoning. Shutting doors
in unused rooms will help conserve heat. Wearing extra
clothing in layers where body heat can be trapped should
help. Wearing a hat will help keep one warm as much heat is
lost out of the top of the head. Finally, check on elderly
neighbors as they are more likely to not notice the effects
of cold as easily as the young and their body temperatures
slowly drop to dangerous levels. Sluggish behavior and even
slurred speech can occur when hypothermia takes hold. Call
911 if you need help with young children or the elderly and
for help evacuating. Let us pray that the next storm of the
century is many years off in time, and that old man winter
smiles on this winter 2005.
Happy New Year to all of our neighbors.
May 2005 bring peace, good health and prosperity to all!
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