Buffalo Snowstorm

Readers of this blog know by now that I am a native of Buffalo, New York.

Yes, the Buffalo that made headlines last week for a monster snowstorm that buried parts of the region in up to 7 feet of snow in a day.  Not fluffy, oh-how-pretty snow, rather wet, heavy snow that is hard to walk through and exhausting to shovel. The snowstorm which is being called “Knife” by the Weather Service also included embedded thunderstorms—adding to the already anxiety producing event.

One of my sisters still lives in the house we grew up in. She sent a picture of the street right before she was liberated from her snow-bound house.  It was impossible to discern a street or steps leading down from the porch. All that could be seen were piles of white, featureless snow.

Now try to imagine what it was like to be literally snowed into your house.  You can’t open the door because there is a snowdrift that makes it impossible to push the door open. Even if you did open the door, your egress would be hindered by the heaping mounds of snow. There would be no reliable visual clue to help orient you to the front steps leading out of the house, or to the street.

If you tried to walk, the snow could easily reach your hips, making walking almost impossible.

Most of us could handle this for a day or maybe two—but imagine living like this for 6 days.

You are actually imprisoned by snow, knowing that someone from outside would have to come and shovel you out of the house—or you would have to wait until the snow compacts and you might be able to open your front door.

For my sister, this story has a happy ending. She was finally freed after 6 days by a combination of front loaders that came down the street and plowed it out, neighbors who worked together to shovel out the entrances to their houses and a moderation of the weather.

Thirteen people died during this storm and buildings collapsed.

Yes, Buffalo does get a lot of snow—but this storm was monumental and unforgettable. It was not the “Oh goody—I have no school today” kind of storm.

It was a weather event that changed lives.