I began my week with an event that nudged my mind and took me back to another such occurrence, though the previous one was of a trying nature I’d never experienced before and hope to never live through again.
What happened on Monday is something we’ve all had to deal with before: a power outage. I had just clocked out at work when the lights blinked. They blinked off-and-on a couple of times and then went completely dead. No problem for me, though, other than when I tried to leave the parking lot and found the highway totally backed up due to all the red lights being out. I made it home in a reasonable time, but while driving I got to thinking about another power outage I had to deal with back in the early 90’s, a happening that came to be known locally as the Blizzard of ’93, also known as the 1993 Storm of the Century, the ’93 Super Storm, the No Name Storm, as well as the Great Blizzard of 1993.
A recent snow fall, about a two footer, but this will still give you an idea of the sight from my back deck back in ’93.
I went to work on Friday, March 12, 1993. I was working as a mechanic in a knitting mill and worked the 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM shift. Around 9:00 that evening it began to snow. We were aware of the forecast, but was totally unprepared for what was to come. It snowed and snowed and snowed, and then around 3:00 AM the 13th, the power to the factory went out. Fortunately, with all the machines that had been running in the plant, it stayed relatively warm and we hung around until get-off time.
That’s when the adventure began. Not a soul could move their car because of the depth of the snow. It wasn’t only the depth but also the high drifts that had built up due to the intense winds. I was fortunate to catch a ride with the husband of one of my workmates. He had a four-wheel drive pick up raised high on big tires and he gave me a ride to the interstate exit near my home. From there, I had to walk about a mile, trudging through drifts three to four feet high, fighting the headwind I was walking into. The only thing on my mind was to get home and have a hot cup of coffee. But surprise, ol’ boy! On arriving home I discovered that the power had been out there since 2:00 AM. And that was just the beginning.
Having a gun-oil furnace, there was not heat. But fortunately, I was ahead of the game on that situation. When I purchased the home I own, I had the option of adding a fireplace when I bought it. I never figured to need it for anything but ambiance, but in this instance it literally became a life saver.
If not for this “jewel”, I might have frozen to death!
Still, with a fireplace wood is needed and I lucked out on that one. I was living next door to where my grandparents once lived. Though my grandfather, whom I called Papaw, had passed away a few years previously and granny no longer lived there, he had a couple of woodsheds stocked with wood because the eight room, two story house they had lived in was heated by a huge wood/coal burning furnace.
And that’s where the fun began for me. Over the next three days I made numerous trips up the hill to the woodsheds, about 50 yards of fighting the drifts, carrying clothes baskets and filling them with wood, then making my way back to the house to keep the heat going. As for food, I was stocked with plenty of canned goods and luckily had an old-timey percolator to put over the flames and brew the coffee, and cast iron pans to warm food in. And I spent the next three days either in front of the fireplace or bundled up in the bed, totally dressed and under all the blankets available.
The storm finally abated early Monday morning the 15th and the power came back on at 4:00 that afternoon after being out for 62-hours. That experience certainly put things in perspective as to how spoiled we are when it comes to creature comforts. I couldn’t help but think what it was like back in the days of the caveman or the pioneer days in the early years of our country’s founding. And I was also prompted to look ahead and prepare even more for the eventuality of something like that happening again, though I couldn’t help but think that that was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Still, I went and bought a small, propane powered grill and a couple of propane lamps.
That truly was a daunting experience, one I will always remember. But I can’t help, even now, to look back and think that it truly was an adventure, as well as a test, and realize that I was fortunate to come through with flying colors and be able to call myself a survivor.
I have been through several blizzards throughout my lifetime. As I live in the NW part of Ohio. Rumor says this winter will be worse than last winter in my area. Makes me wonder how much snow we will get, how cold it will get and how long our winter will last. As last summer started late this year.
I love the “blizzards” we get in Georgia. About once every 4 or 5 years we’ll get a big ice storm. Sometimes the power goes out, but it’s as close to winter as we get!
We had four feet of snow on the ground here in Boston all at once last winter. It could have been worse I suppose.
This just makes me shudder for the coming winter! I’ve never been in a blizzard but the snow has gotten pretty deep a few times and it always scares me. This was a great reminder to be prepared!
I can imagine how horrible being in the middle of a Blizzard would be, like you said we are definitely spoiled with creature comforts these days.
Oh my goodness, after last winter’s snowstorms, I am not even ready to think about the snow this year. I know it’s coming, but man I hope it isn’t as bad as last year’s storms were.
I remember the blizzard of 78 and the one in 1996. The Northeast was covered with snow.
I was a kid when this happened. We had a dog that was a Norwegian Elkhound, and she thought she was in heaven with all that snow. We had fun with it, taking walks and making snowmen. I had never seen that much snow in my life. It was pretty awesome.
I remember that winter well. The snow just never went away. We had piles of snow in parking lots until mid-spring. It was crazy. I love the look of a beautiful snowfall but could live without that kind of quantity again.
We get a ton of snow where I live, but not too many blizzards, thank goodness. Our power will go out briefly, but I can’t imagine going for longer than one night without it. Friends of ours went for days and days through an ice storm years ago, and it was terrible!
That was a terrible experience you had to go through. No power for 62 hours! That’s almost three days! I am thankful that you pulled through and yes, fireplaces are life savers!
I live in San Diego and always complaining about the heat.. I always tell my husband to move to Easy Coast.. maybe i should rethink about it 😉
I was only a kid when that blizzard happened but I remember we were traveling from NC when it happened. I had never seen so much snow in my life!
It must have been a terrible experience. The storms in the tropics and the blizzards in this part of the world are getting worse each year.
I graduated high school in Oklahoma in 1993 and then a few months later moved to Michigan for a year. That was my first real winter and it was quite a challenge for me.
Wow, I am from the tropics and I wouldn’t know what to do in situations like this if I get stuck from work. Thanks for sharing your experience.
We get lots of giant snow storms here in Chicago but our big recent blizzard was about 2-3years ago. Thankfully we never lost power and our next door neighbor owned his own plow company!
I am so not looking forward to winter storms here this year. We were out of power 2 years ago for 2 days and it was pure torture because there was no heat. I’m glad you survived your blizzard and hopefully that doesn’t happen again.
Wow that sounds like quite the storm! It is crazy how much we depend on the weather for various means of survival! Here’s hoping you or anyone else never has to experience something like that again!
I live in Texas, no blizzards here. The 1993 blizzard, while I am sure was a beast, sure looks gorgeous!
Ahhhhhhhh when I lived in FL I would get excited for our every few years “blizzards” the whole state would close for a flurry lol… Now living in WNY omg! I can’t deal with the snow. Can’t wait for my house to sell so I can be back in FL lol….
Can you believe that I’ve never seen snow? I want to see it but I Don’t want to see THIS much snow!
The most time we’ve had to deal with a power outage was probably 12 hours or so, and that felt like forever. You do appreciate the small things that we tend to take for granted when they are no longer available to us.
I know this experience all so well. We are headed into the winter months and that means lots of snow and loss of power.
I was still quite young but my boyfriend remembers that blizzard. I am hoping we don’t get that much in WNY this year.
Wow, I remember the blizzard of ’93. Your experience sounds awfully lonely, though. My whole family spent the days and nights playing outside, cooking over a fire, reading, and playing games together (with LOTS of candles!!!!). It felt less like all the hard work you described, and more like a family adventure.
Well, it truly was a family adventure, but in my case, a lot of work was involved with an elderly mother and a small child to look after.