Guess what happened today? A snowstorm blanketed upstate (AKA Western) New York with more that 6 feet of snow! Known as a “lake-effect storm”, Buffalo residents were caught off guard by this early-season storm. So, I ask you – Snowstorm: are you Ready?
You’re probably wondering why a Southern California girl (me) is writing about a snowstorm in New York. Well, because of two reasons, really:
- my brother and his family live near Buffalo and, naturally, I worry about them and their extended family in the surrounding area
- just because I live in SoCal doesn’t mean the impossible can’t happened!
Never say never…
Many years ago, somewhere between 10 and 15 years ago (I had a cell phone, that’s the only way I can figure out the timeline), it snowed in San Diego city. It snows in San Diego County every year. We have mountain communities in our county and it always snows there. But, in San Diego city, almost never.
Unfortunately, I can’t prove to you that it snowed in San Diego city, because I can’t find a record of it anywhere on the internet. The only snowstorm listed on the internet for San Diego city was in 1967.
But, here’s the thing: I didn’t live in San Diego in 1967. Plus, I had a cell phone.
I was driving home from work. At the time, I worked in downtown San Diego and lived where we live now, about 35 miles north (but still in San Diego County). I was driving on one of our major freeways, it was dark (so fall or winter) and all of a sudden I noticed banks of snow along the shoulders of the freeway.
That’s right – I said “banks of snow!” At least a foot of snow covered the shoulder of the freeway. I picked up my cell phone and dialed Charlie, who was at home 35 miles north.
I screamed “Charlie, it’s snowing!”
He said calmly (he’s almost, always, mostly calm), “where?”
“Here! On the freeway! In San Diego!”
“You’re crazy,” he muttered, exasperated.
“No, seriously. Really. It’s snowing and there’s like a foot of snow along the shoulder of the freeway!”
To this day he doesn’t believe me and thinks I made this up. But, I swear to you, it was snowing and there is no record of it.
I’ve concluded (because I’m NOT crazy and I didn’t make this up), this snowfall didn’t “count” because it didn’t “stick”. In other words, it melted so quickly that no one counted this freak event as a storm, much less a snowstorm.
The other thing I’ve concluded is that it happened only on a small stretch of this San Diego freeway, experienced by a small number of people and no one else remembers it because it’s akin to a group alien encounter, where no one wants to admit that they were part of the experience {grin}.
Anyway, it snowed, I was not drunk and I was not on drugs and my mind was not mired by some fleeting optical illusion.
I admit I’m not an expert when it comes to preparing for a snowstorm. But, FEMA is. If you live in an area where snowstorms are common (or uncommon) occurrences, FEMA has a wealth of information about:
What to do Before, During and After a Snowstorm
So rather than regurgitate their stellar information, just check out the link above and add those tasks to your ever-growing list of “to do’s” for emergency preparedness.
Oh, by the way, if you are a new visitor to my blog, welcome! Once a month I write an article about emergency planning and preparedness. We lost our home in a wildfire in 2007 and I’ve been a proponent of planning for disasters since. You can read our “fire story” here: Any Way the Wind Blows.
Also, if you’ve missed my earlier posts on emergency planning and preparedness, you can catch up now:
- Resolve to Be Ready 2014
- Blackout: are you Ready?
- Pet Owners: are you Ready?
- Evacuation: are you Ready?
- Alert: are you Ready?
- Water: are you Ready?
- Smoke Alarms: are you Ready?
- Emergency Food Supply: are you Ready?
- Fly-away Kit: are you Ready?
- Family Emergency Kit: are you Ready?
Oh, by the way, it snows every year up in our Laguna Mountains. So, my SoCal friends, family and neighbors, FEMA’s info is good info for you, too. Because, you never know when you might get caught in a snowstorm!
Here’s an updated Resolve to be Ready Project Checklist for your emergency planning binder: Resolve to Be Ready Project Checklist updated 11-19-2014.
Tootles,
Related Posts:
(other posts on emergency planning and preparedness)
- 14 Human Needs
- 42 Important Papers in Your Home
- Aftermath
- Counting Our Blessings
- Emergency Planning Checklist
- Home Safety Quiz
- Hurricane Sandy
- In the Midnight Hours
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
- Replacing Your Important Papers After a Disaster
- The Backup Plan
- The Fire Drill
- Tornado Alley
- What’s in Your First Aid Kit?
- Wildfire Season: are you Ready?
Carole, one time driving home from Disneyland on the 5 south there was snow on the shoulder near San Clemente, which isn’t too far from San Diego. We had the Princesses P with us so it was in the past 3 years at most! So you’re right, never say never!
Wow! I’m glad I wasn’t crazy! So, it’s snowed at least twice in recent years that we know of!