Christmas storm could be “Paralyzing” for Buffalo

[Let's Go Buffalo]

Praying for all those in Buffalo and the surrounding areas. I don't live there, but I do have friends who do, and Godspeed! I know the homeless gets hit the hardest with this, and I once had a family member who was homeless for quite some time, so it really hits home for sure.

[muppy]

I think being prepared and provisioned with medical supplies is clearly the best scenario . Why a person would not put that need as a priority is surprising. 

 

But if said person has noone to rely on and circumstances of all sorts can come up. It's just sad.

 

 

[That's No Moon]

17 minutes ago, muppy said:

I think being prepared and provisioned with medical supplies is clearly the best scenario . Why a person would not put that need as a priority is surprising. 

 

But if said person has noone to rely on and circumstances of all sorts can come up. It's just sad.

 

 

Nobody to rely on to get them, no money to pay for them early (insurance doesn't just let you get stuff whenever you want it), etc etc etc.

[Just Jack]

2 hours ago, Beck Water said:

It's really heartbreaking that to date, the stories that have been told about many of the "found outside" deaths are people who were safe inside with heat and power, and decided to walk for groceries or supplies and were found outside, frozen.  I imagine as things settle we'll find there are many more who would have died but were saved by generous people who opened their homes and helped warm them.

 

There was one article I read that someone that got stuck in their car, had to decide either to stay put or seek shelter.  They left their car to seek shelter and passed by both a train station and police station that were open, only to be found dead on the street.  No one is sure where they were trying to get to. 

[WhoTom]

https://www.buffalobills.com/news/buffalo-bills-foundation-nfl-foundation-and-highmark-support-buffalo-blizzard-re

[Big Turk]

 

[bigK14094]

I was around for the blizzard of 77.  Although this one was tough, 77 was worse imho.  City was shut down for 2 weeks, and the burbs one week..   -20F temps and drifts so hard you could walk on them.   There were cars in the middle of Grover Cleveland golf course in May when the snow melted as the city dumped snow there  and had picked up some smaller cars unknowingly.  My employer sent me in to work one week after to see how many made it in....8 out of 400 about....that was a week later! I was instructed to shut it down again....which I did.  (go home, go home, it was easy)  20 ft drifts both north and south of the city.  (Furman Blve, Keck road)   Anyhow, I guess that timing does make it once in a generation. (or two)

[Draconator]

55 minutes ago, bigK14094 said:

I was around for the blizzard of 77.  Although this one was tough, 77 was worse imho.  City was shut down for 2 weeks, and the burbs one week..   -20F temps and drifts so hard you could walk on them.   There were cars in the middle of Grover Cleveland golf course in May when the snow melted as the city dumped snow there  and had picked up some smaller cars unknowingly.  My employer sent me in to work one week after to see how many made it in....8 out of 400 about....that was a week later! I was instructed to shut it down again....which I did.  (go home, go home, it was easy)  20 ft drifts both north and south of the city.  (Furman Blve, Keck road)   Anyhow, I guess that timing does make it once in a generation. (or two)

This was way worse than 77. 

[Big Turk]

58 minutes ago, bigK14094 said:

I was around for the blizzard of 77.  Although this one was tough, 77 was worse imho.  City was shut down for 2 weeks, and the burbs one week..   -20F temps and drifts so hard you could walk on them.   There were cars in the middle of Grover Cleveland golf course in May when the snow melted as the city dumped snow there  and had picked up some smaller cars unknowingly.  My employer sent me in to work one week after to see how many made it in....8 out of 400 about....that was a week later! I was instructed to shut it down again....which I did.  (go home, go home, it was easy)  20 ft drifts both north and south of the city.  (Furman Blve, Keck road)   Anyhow, I guess that timing does make it once in a generation. (or two)

 

A lot of the reason 77 was so bad was due to almost complete unpreparedness for it. People did not have any idea until a few hours prior.

[ExiledInIllinois]

2 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

There was one article I read that someone that got stuck in their car, had to decide either to stay put or seek shelter.  They left their car to seek shelter and passed by both a train station and police station that were open, only to be found dead on the street.  No one is sure where they were trying to get to. 

Confused and disoriented.  When hypothermia sets in, it ain't pretty.  Look at some of us posters here! 😉 

Edited December 29, 2022 by ExiledInIllinois

[ExiledInIllinois]

22 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

A lot of the reason 77 was so bad was due to almost complete unpreparedness for it. People did not have any idea until a few hours prior.

Agree. And basically everyone drove rear wheel drive. Basically one whee, no limited slip,  traction control. Few with Fwd back then, even fewer with 4x4. Sure people put snows on... But simple inclines would get you stuck.

 

One gets stuck. They all do behind them.

 

IMO, we are much more invincible today.  The bigger the 4x4, the bigger you get stuck. 

 

AND... Just lack of winterizing a vehicle. Shovel, traction pads, sleeping bag, some non-perishable provisions, Carhartts, hat, work/warm gloves. Etc...

 

I eat my stored Snickers Bars in Spring, replenish in Fall. 😆 🤣 

 

You don't see skinny animals in the Arctic!

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by ExiledInIllinois

[Buffalo716]

2 hours ago, bigK14094 said:

I was around for the blizzard of 77.  Although this one was tough, 77 was worse imho.  City was shut down for 2 weeks, and the burbs one week..   -20F temps and drifts so hard you could walk on them.   There were cars in the middle of Grover Cleveland golf course in May when the snow melted as the city dumped snow there  and had picked up some smaller cars unknowingly.  My employer sent me in to work one week after to see how many made it in....8 out of 400 about....that was a week later! I was instructed to shut it down again....which I did.  (go home, go home, it was easy)  20 ft drifts both north and south of the city.  (Furman Blve, Keck road)   Anyhow, I guess that timing does make it once in a generation. (or two)

I believe it snowed for 40 or 50 straight days before the blizzard of 77… The lake froze early and piled all the snow onto it

 

Then the winds came and blew all the snow off the lake into western New York… I believe only 10 inches fell that night of the storm… It was thousands of pounds of snow that had already fallen that did the damage 

 

For a 40 hr storm this was unparalleled … The blizzard of 77 had bad weather for weeks leading up

Edited December 29, 2022 by Buffalo716

[Seventeen]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

 

A lot of the reason 77 was so bad was due to almost complete unpreparedness for it. People did not have any idea until a few hours prior.

 

This is true - went to class at Buff State, closed the pub and then realized we had an issue when I walked up Elmwood and our front entrance was snowed in.

[Big Turk]

1 hour ago, Buffalo716 said:

I believe it snowed for 40 or 50 straight days before the blizzard of 77… The lake froze early and piled all the snow onto it

 

Then the winds came and blew all the snow off the lake into western New York… I believe only 10 inches fell that night of the storm… It was thousands of pounds of snow that had already fallen that did the damage 

 

For a 40 hr storm this was unparalleled … The blizzard of 77 had bad weather for weeks leading up

 

Here is a great description of what led up to the Blizzard of 77 that made it so bad. Additionally some things not mentioned in the article:

 

Buffalo was at record snow depth prior to the Blizzard starting which stood as the all time record until recently.

 

Buffalo had about half the plows out of commission and in need of repair due to it's relentless battle with the snow that year.

 

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/remembering-the-blizzard-of-77/71-393850323

Edited December 29, 2022 by Big Turk

[Buffalo716]

1 minute ago, Big Turk said:

 

Here is a great description of what led up to the Blizzard of 77 that made it so bad. Additionally some things not mentioned in the article:

 

Buffalo was at record snow depth prior to the Blizzard starting which stood as the all time record until recently.

 

Buffalo had about half the plows out of commission and in need of repair due to it's relentless battle with the snow that year.

 

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/remembering-the-blizzard-of-77/71-393850323

Sounds right

[Wacka]

Lived in Hartford, CT in the early 90s. Bunch of us Bills Backers were going to a Sabres-Whalers game on a Saturday afternoon. They said there was a storm coming  but being from Buffalo, we said no problem. Got to the arena and it started  snowing. It was  N'oreaster!

 

Since the Sabres were already in town, the rule was they had to hold the game.  Can't remember where our seats were, but only 1-2K people showed up and we sat  2 rows behind the Sabres bench. On the way home there was close to 6" on the interstate out  of town. Took me over 2 hours to drive the less than 10 miles to Bristol, CT (lived ¼ mile from ESPN). The two games we had postponed this week were because the other team couldn't get into town. 

[Wacka]

Things are back to normal in WNY. The annual fight at the movies/food court at the Galleria happened as scheduled  on Christmas week tonight.

[Beck Water]

On 12/29/2022 at 11:28 AM, Just Jack said:

 

There was one article I read that someone that got stuck in their car, had to decide either to stay put or seek shelter.  They left their car to seek shelter and passed by both a train station and police station that were open, only to be found dead on the street.  No one is sure where they were trying to get to. 

 

In some of the conditions, they may not have been able to see the train or police station.  When it’s really a whiteout you can’t see more than a few feet ahead of you

[ExiledInIllinois]

48 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

In some of the conditions, they may not have been able to see the train or police station.  When it’s really a whiteout you can’t see more than a few feet ahead of you

Yup!

 

During the "Children's/Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888" on the plains... Pretty smart thinking. The rescuers anchored a rope to the closest house and then went to the schoolhouse and anchored it there and then rescued the children.

 

"Near Zeona, South Dakota: The children at the local school were rescued. Two men tied a rope to the closest house and headed for the school. There, they tied off the other end of the rope, and led the children to safety."

 

 

Another 1888 story:

 

"Mira Valley, Nebraska: Minnie Freeman safely led thirteen children from her schoolhouse to her home, one and a half miles (2.4 km) away. The rumor she used a rope to keep the children together during the blinding storm is widely circulated, but one of the children claimed it was not true. All of her pupils survived. That year, "Song of the Great Blizzard: Thirteen Were Saved" or "Nebraska's Fearless Maid",was written and recorded in her honor by William Vincent and published by Lyon & Healy.

In 1967, a Venetian glass mural of The Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888 by Jeanne Reynal was installed on the west wall of the north bay in the Nebraska State Capitol building in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the 1967 Centennial Celebration. The mural, in a semi-abstract style, portrays a purported incident in which a schoolteacher, Minnie Freeman, tied her children together with a clothesline and led them through the storm to safety."

Edited December 31, 2022 by ExiledInIllinois

[Not at the table Karlos]

10 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

In some of the conditions, they may not have been able to see the train or police station.  When it’s really a whiteout you can’t see more than a few feet ahead of you

Yep. I walked right past my house a couple times when walking in it. The wind was blowing in my face and snow getting in my eyes. You had to keep your head down and look up every so often. With goggles and face coverings it was disorienting 

 

Even walking with wind at our back. We would hear something that sounded like a large truck driving up to us but it was just a gust with a ridiculous amount of snow in it. If you got caught in them just right it's just black with flashes of white. 

 

 

Had 4 feet the other day on my front lawn. Now all grass 

Edited December 31, 2022 by Not at the table Karlos