Pine Barrens Mafia Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 I was very young but I remember my house being buried to the second story in a drift
Saxum Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 By the way...if anyone has the old Blizzard of 77 game, I'd love to borrow it. I've always wanted to make an online version, and I have the next 3 months off... You can get most of the game online. https://boardgamegeek.com/image/162309/blizzard-77-travel-game It was made for a number of different cities and rules are the same.
Dragonborn10 Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 I was 6. Barely remember it. Lived in Tonawanda. I do remember only being able to get our of the house from a second story window. The snow drifts were above the front door.
Niagara Bill Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 I lived in Niagara Falls Canada and left work about 4 pm that day. Never had I seen such snow and winds. We waited a little to allow some of the roads to clear of cars. My theory was the snow was bad, the traffic was going to be more trouble. It was soooo cold. We worked outside the city and had a 10 mile drive. ( many people stayed at work and were trapped for 3 days with food arriving by snowmobiles) I drove 3 girls from the office home with me. ( got them close to their houses where they could walk a block or 2) NO cell phones in those days. I didn`t make it home and had to stay at a friends apartment. On the way home the snow was so deep on the road and so hard you drove on top of the snow in places. The power lines in places were touchable. Incredible. I later learned we actually drove over top of cars that were abandoned on the road and the wind and snow covered. My boss had to drive through a tunnel on his way. Couldn`t see and hit a huge snow drift and forced then to walk 2 miles home. Later found out he hit another car in that snow drift and the person in that car froze to death. The good side of the adventure was my friends apartment were I stayed had a neighbor who was very pretty, lonely, and friendly. While it was cold outside it was hot inside. A relationship that last a few months. Nice benefit for a 25 yr old. from the most incredible storm.
BuffaloBud Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) Junior in HS and fireman with Bowmansville FD. School let us out early. I got all the kids on the street together and we held hands walking home. Looked like a bunch of elephants walking together. One of the guys from the FD came by in snowmachine to pick me up and take me to fire station. Met my dad there as he just made it out of the city and you couldn't get past Transit and Genesse. Spent the next 4 days at fire station. Slept on the hose bed of one of the trucks. Shuttled supplies to people that couldn't get out and got supplies for the 300-400 people that we had in our banquet room. The two of us walked the 2 miles from the fire station back home once everything settled down. At the intersection of Pleasant View and Central Ave was able to touch the signal light in the middle of the intersection. IIRC, we did not have school for a couple of weeks afterwards. Edited January 23, 2017 by BuffaloBud
plenzmd1 Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 I was 14, parents stuck at work for the weekend, drank my first beer that storm! I was at Catholic school, don't remember making up the days My poor sister was a senior in public high school and class was so far delayed she graduated on July 2nd!
Marv's Neighbor Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 I moved to N VA in 1970. Sorry I missed that!
Formerly Allan in MD Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 My father was trapped downtown, on Chippewa, in his second floor business. He slept on the bare floor a few nights. But he was lucky, there was a bar downstairs, with food.
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 My GF's Mom's boyfriend is Barry LIllis. Is he still on the wagon? That alcohol abuse almost killed him. The snow drift ran right up onto the roof of our two story house. I wanted to climb up onto the roof but my parents wouldn't let me. :-) Our front door and side door were buried for weeks. We had to enter/exit the house through a 6'x2' window in the family room. I don't remember being without power for long. Probably because the year before they had that killer ice storm that knocked out power for a week. Any electrical wire or pole that could have failed at that time, did. Hey, I'm surprised no one has stories about gettin' some. Our smokin' hot 17-year-old neighbor was stuck at home alone for five days and my mom asked me to go over there five times a day to make sure everything was fine. Gawd, she was hot. Update: I actually ran into her at an airport 15 years ago - all 200 pounds of her.
Gordio Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 i knew there was a reason I left 35 years ago. thanks for reminding me. Other than June thru September, when the weather is spectacular, WNY weather absolutely sucks by any reasonable standard. Just an FYI alot of the local golf courses were open this weekend wiseguy. MY brother in law played at Byrnecliff & we went to Terry Hills. The conditions were great, shot an 89. Not bad.
gomper Posted January 23, 2017 Posted January 23, 2017 Is he still on the wagon? That alcohol abuse almost killed him. He's been sober for over 30 years. Saw him Saturday. Great guy.
Wacka Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 Was at home when the blizzard hit. The day before was bad too. I was a sophomore at UB and didn't have a car yet. Took the Metro bus to the main street campus and then the UB bus up to Amherst. The bus couldn't navigate the road net to the buildings on the spine, so they let about 10 of us off at Clemens Hall (English building). Most of the building on the academic spine were not finished yet and so we had to walk like mountain climers to the Physics building. When I got into the classroom they announced that the school was closing in an hour and get back to Min Street if needed. There was nothing but fields between the Physics building and Governors dorm and the snow was mid-thigh deep.Mananged to get back home at about 1 PM.
Saxum Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 My family lived in Steelton which is on the border between Blasdell and Hamburg. I was a sophomore in high school. IThis storm was treated as reason to just play hockey and once we were dug out. Path between garage and house hand snow packed to almost roof of garage and when we went out back door we went thru packed snow and ice tunnel over 10 tall. I went down to playground to shovel basketball court for them to play. Snow was so deep I was not able to clear it and did not get paid. They finally played in pond at back of Penn Dixie Quarry since it got so cold entire pond froze solid. Fishing was ruined there for a long time.
Seasons1992 Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 By the way...if anyone has the old Blizzard of 77 game, I'd love to borrow it. I've always wanted to make an online version, and I have the next 3 months off... My parents have it....with the newspapers from then still in there. Grew up playing it once a year.
Augie Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 Hey, I'm surprised no one has stories about gettin' some. Our smokin' hot 17-year-old neighbor was stuck at home alone for five days and my mom asked me to go over there five times a day to make sure everything was fine. Gawd, she was hot. Update: I actually ran into her at an airport 15 years ago - all 200 pounds of her. Or.... just the opposite. My girlfriend was many miles away and we couldn't drive for what seemed like FOREVER!
Big Turk Posted January 25, 2017 Author Posted January 25, 2017 (edited) I was a few weeks shy of my 2nd birthday so I have no recollection of it. My Mom has talked to me about it a lot through the years. She was at work that morning and heard the news on the radio about the bad storm coming and told everyone she was leaving(she worked across the street from Buffalo General at the time) and all her co-workers laughed and made fun of her saying "Oh its just going to be a little snow, why are you leaving for that??" Clearly she made the right choice and they made the wrong choice as most of them were trapped there for a few days while my Mom made it home through the beginning of the blizzard although it took her about 3 hours she said...we only lived about 15 minutes from where she worked at on normal day, near the Kensington and Eggert area at the time. Wish I would have been old enough to remember...I've been here through the 7 feet of snow in 5 days back in the early 2000's, the 7 feet of snow in a day and a half a few years ago, the October Storm and numerous other lake snow events, but from what I have seen and heard, nothing comes close to what the Blizzard of '77 was and it's long ranging impact on the psyche of this community. Edited January 25, 2017 by matter2003
ExiledInIllinois Posted January 25, 2017 Posted January 25, 2017 (edited) Funny... I was 9. I don't really remember it all too well compared to other storms as much.. 1976 ice storm, 1985... Are more vivid to me weatherwise. I grew up in S.Cheektowaga/West Seneca schools. I must have been home safely. Now, my father was stuck @ Forks Hotel (Sloan)... Boy was he pissed. Trying to get home from an appointment @ the VA when a lady stopped, got stuck under the viaduct on Union, blocking him and others from getting through. Only miles from home! Boy did rear wheel drive cars suck back then... Even on slightest inclines. I do sorta remember the call my father made to say he was safe. We live in a totally different world now... Cell phones, DirectDeposit paychecks, debit cards, ATMs, front wheel drive cars, traction control, AWD, 4x4... Simple things we take for granted really hedge against disasters much better now. One big problem was that people simply couldn't get their weekly pay... Access to their money... Yeah you could write checks I suppose, but cash at banks (closed), etc... Forget about it! Edited January 25, 2017 by ExiledInIllinois
Guffalo Posted January 25, 2017 Posted January 25, 2017 I was a sophomore at St. Joes. We lived in Kenmore, right off Delaware Ave. I remember getting home and watching the snow just continue coming down for what seemed like forever. My Dad made it home from downtown in the late afternoon. My brother had been driving our 1966 mustang and abandoned it just off the skyway. Somehow he made it home, but we never saw the car again. After a day or two of being cramped in the house we went to a Presbyterian church next to my friends house with a fire escape outside, we took turns jumping off it into the snow until we packed it down. At some point about 2-3 days into it, the guy that was the facilities manager for my Dads building said he was going downtown to check out the building and asked my dad if I wanted to go. I was so bored I was ready to go anywhere, so this little old guy (Arnold Dahl) drove his rear wheel drive Cadillac from Kenmore to the Holling Press building on Washington street downtown. It was something to see, this 80 something year old guy slalom down Delaware avenue in a gold caddy, through the "S" turns at the park and right into the downtown area. I know I helped him shovel a bit, he checked the boilers and the water and we headed back. The rest of the storm we just watched as national guards drove down Delaware on their way downtown. I was actually relieved when school started after a 2 week break. These days, my kids still have no idea what that kind of snow looks like.
ExiledInIllinois Posted January 26, 2017 Posted January 26, 2017 Don't look now... But big incoming LE snow for the snow belts alee of The Lakes. Better get your late January golf games in now. Some areas may get 2 feet by Sunday? Lakes are warm, not frozen much... "Gift that keeps on giving!"
gomper Posted January 27, 2017 Posted January 27, 2017 <iframe width="640" height="360" style="border-width:0" src="http://interactive.tegna-media.com/video/embed/embed.html?id=2491621&type=video&title=Blizzardof '77: 40 Years Later&site=71&playerid=6918249996581&dfpid=32805352&dfpposition=Video_prestream_external§ion=home"></iframe>
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