For those of you who were goofing on our little snowstorm yesterday...come visit.

[Atman]

I can't stress how bad the situation is up here. Power is out all over the place, trees and power lines are blocking major roads, people were stuck on the tarmac at the airport for several hours...and the power is supposed to be out for a week. The state of CT is opening up "warming centers." Compounding the problems people are facing, the temp is supposed to drop into the low 20s tonight, and pipes will start bursting. This October storm is a true disaster. The National Guard has been mobilized in Western MA.

Amazingly, my little town still has power, but much of CT doesn't -- maybe we're seeing some karmic balance after being w/o power for a week after the hurricane. Either way, send good vibes out your brothers and sisters in the storm zone. This was not just a little freak October snowstorm...it was/is literally a disaster and a lot of people are hurting.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

1. Any reports on how OWS Zucotti fared?

What they might need?

[uncle ray]

26. leave water trickling through the pipes.

that can help prevent freezing. maybe.

[lunatica]

2. Jeez! Were people really making fun of the storm?

I'm sorry if they did. I'm glad you have electricity. And stay warm!

[Atman]

6. In typical DU fashion, there were posts yesterday...

Some had to point out that they lived in places that got REAL snow, and goofed at those who were warning people to be prepared for the worst. Meanwhile, a nearby friend had to go rescue my mom this morning after she woke up in a 46 degree house with no power all night. We couldn't get to her because the road from our direction was blocked.

[occupyeverywhere]

14. In a post, I said it was a freak Nor'easter

and that it was "no big deal", that was before all the reports. I retract the part about it being no big deal.

[Walk away]

18. My house barely missed being crushed by the 80 foot oak tree that fell in my yard...

Our neighborhood looks like a war zone this morning after hundred and fifty year old trees fell on cars and homes!!! And I was making fun of the whole thing yesterday morning. You never expect the Spanish Inquisition!

[Patiod]

23. Ditto here - the trees can handle ice, but not on LEAVES

We have a 40' branch down out back that just missed our deck.

At least we didn't lose power as so many others did (including DU's own Samandjaneteveing, of Sunday LOLCats fame, who lives nearby).

[Patiod]

22. That's okay - the news was telling us it was "no big deal"

and would result in 1-2" on the grass.

So I went out to get something at the store, and ran off the road on the way home when the snow turned to sleet. So the car is now in the shop, and I'm shook up. Thank God I was able to drive into the only cornfield left in the township, or much more damage would have resulted.

The roads went from wet to icy in minutes - we're so used to roads being salted and plowed, and TPTB hadn't been warned that any of that would be necessary because it wasn't supposed to be much of a "big deal"!

[occupyeverywhere]

24. So sorry to hear that

Glad you are Okay! :hi:

[Atman]

29. Not sure where you are located, but we were told it was going to be an epic storm.

Trouble was, as another poster pointed out, most towns didn't even have their plows or salt ready yet. I knew we were in for real trouble when I drove to the grocery storm about two hours into the storm and our town's school bus parking lot had more utility company trucks and tree trimmers than school buses. We live on a lake at the top of a hill, at 520' above sea level. Just driving up to the top the temperature dropped two degrees, to 31°, and the snow was much heavier. Without the preparation, even my AWD with mud/snow tires was sliding all over the place. It really turned from bad to worse very quickly. Glad to hear you're okay!

[Patiod]

31. The worst part was we had to dig out the 87 Camaro to come get me

You should have seen the looks we were getting from AWD/SUV owners, like "get off the road! Idiot!"

We would NEVER have taken a Camaro out in that weather, but it was either that or I had to walk home in the sleet. We had to drive about 5 mph in a suburban neighborhood to avoid fishtailing, and there were a FURIOUS SUVs driver tailgating us and flashing their lights at us the whole way home.

(we're in SE PA, and as I was driving IN HEAVY SNOW at 11am, the weather report on the radio was saying there was "little likelihood of snow until this evening, when we expect a light dusting". I knew at that point something was off. Then it turned to icy sleet, and they were still saying that "roads are clear", which they definitely weren't)

[Atman]

32. LOL! Had a 68 Camaro convertible in HS, then bought a new 82

The 82 was the first year of the new hatch-back body style. 5 speed manual, perfect surf-mobile for the Florida beach town in which I grew up. But then my wife got a job in Hartford and we had to move up north. Holy crap! That car became a whole new animal. My wife couldn't handle the manual transmission on hills, and in the winter we'd have to fill the entire back of it with big bags of cat litter. That helped keep it on the road, plus we could use the cat litter for traction when we got. When, not if. We finally ditched it when we had our first child...it was impossible to get him into his car seat in the back seat. Ah, the memories!

[lunatica]

15. I hope your mom is warm and comfortable now

Before my mom and I moved in together I worried about her much more.

[malaise]

30. Stay safe

:grouphug:

[Raschel]

3. 20° tonight? Wow. I do have to ask though, why will the pipes start bursting? Here in Minnesota we

would just turn the heat on.

[Raven]

5. If the power goes out the heat stops working...pipes go. Here

in swNH I got 2-3 feet which is unusual even for the Monadnock area. My power didn't go out but I have a generator for that.

[Raschel]

10. Thanks, see my post below. Brain not working.

:hi:

[Raschel]

4. Doh, scratch that. You said most of Connecticut doesn't have power. I was thinking of you and your

town.

[pinboy3niner]

7. Good luck to you

Good that you still have power, but freezing pipes are a big deal for those who don't. I've been through that--with an upstairs pipe failing in cold weather, doing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

Good vibes to you and others affected in CT....

Love & Peace,
pinboy3niner

[Edweird]

8. Goofing? Not on your life - I'd love to get a call for storm work....

[Raschel]

9. Time for someone to post a winter emergency list. Who knows what this crazy weather will

bring the rest of the winter!

I like to keep lots of food extras during the winter so we don't have to go out if we get heavy snow.

We also call disabled or elderly near us to see if they need anything.

[Glassunion]

11. I'm on hour 20 with no power.

This sux. However I have the house up to 68 degrees. It got down to 56 last night inside the house.

[City Lights]

12. Sending good vibes to those hit by the storm.

I was not one of those goofing on your situation and do not understand why anyone would make fun of someone's weather disaster. I hope power is restored sooner than expected. In the meantime, I hope those without power find a way to stay warm. Above all, stay safe. :grouphug:

[etherealtruth]

13. I live in Michigan ... snow storms aren't funny ...

They are expecially horrid "out of season" ... no one is prepared to respond.

I'm sorry

[DCKit]

16. Geez, I'm so sorry. Even here we didn't get the warning until the night before.

And I was stunned to see snow in DC in October.

Had I left DC yesterday, I'd have run into it on the way out.

We all need to stop talking "global warming" and get on board with "climate change". We're so fucked.

[Coyote_Bandit]

17. Sending warm thoughts that way

I've been without power and stranded for a week or more at a time more than once because of snow and/or ice. It's a miserable experience and it can be dangerous.

[OneGrassRoot]

21. Me, too. I join you in sending warm thoughts and well wishes. n/t

[Warpy]

19. I remember another October storm in 1987

I was flying in to Boston from Denver. The plane crossed the storm front and it was a white knuckle 747 flight with more than one steep drop. It's the only time I heard applause when the wheels finally touched tarmac.

It was an unholy mess then for the same reason it is now. Trees in nearly full leaf + heavy, wet snow = more power lines down than up, including the high voltage jobs carrying power all across the region.

Early snow is no joke. People are going to lose trees, power, and even houses and cars when the trees fall over from the weight.

You do have my sympathy back there. It's why I aint back there no mo.

[pipi_k]

20. I gotta tell ya...

It looks like mid-February at my house, in the Hilltowns of Western Mass.

Hubby is out right now plowing 20 inches of snow in the driveway.

We had the scanner on most of yesterday. Cars were sliding off the roads all over the place. There was a fire when a transformer burst into flames on an electric pole. Trees blocking the state road/highway. The DPW wouldn't even plow my dirt road because they had to do the main roads and the snow was coming down too fast for them to keep up.

Millions are without power just in CT and Mass. I don't know how we managed to escape, seeing as it went out in town yesterday and came back on at 6 AM. Up here on the mountain we got through, but if the wind picks up, we could still lose power.

Incredible

[bullwinkle428]

25. My Mom went through this a couple of years back in Buffalo, so

I know how brutal the magnitude of these winter storms in autumn can be! Piss on anyone who attempted to mock those having to go through it...

[bigwillq]

27. It is indeed awful in CT

First Irene, now Alfred. SMH

There are some real serious problems up here.

[riderinthestorm]

28. I live in Northern Ilinois, I never joke about snow and storms. Ever.

They aren't funny, especially this early when no one's prepared. It's possible townships don't even have their snowplows on their trucks and/or salt in the storage silos yet.

Hugs to all of you who are suffering. Sending good vibes your way that you get some relief soon.