Virginia snow, 3 January 2022

[Beowolf]

Thus far at 10:50am, a big storm has dropped roughly 10" on my area since about 3am. It's heavy and wet, and the lights keep flickering. Roads are terrible, with multiples cars having slid off the road by me. Power outages farther north.

Stay safe, my easterly friends. Hope everyone is okay.

[Anianna]

We're well south of your location and things are better here.  We have a couple of inches, but the roads couldn't be pretreated due to rain before the snow started, so the roads are still a concern. 

[Beowolf]

Glad things are relatively okay there. Wind has picked up a bit, and it's still coming down. Would guess close to 12" now. I haven't seen a snow plow go through, though a local landscaping truck has done some work.

Thankfully the power hasn't done anything worse than flicker. Really making me think of a generator in the future.

[Anianna]

I95 has been shut down from exits 104 to 152.  For anybody unaware, Virginia exits on interstates are approximate mile markers, so that's just shy of 50 miles of the major interstate up and down the east coast shut down.  While the official notice of the closure came this morning, portions of that stretch have been shut down since yesterday afternoon with many motorists stranded for over 24 hours.  VDOT has been actively trying to get stranded motorists to exists to get off of the interstate. 

This continues to be a serious issue.  If you plan on traveling 95 through Virginia, I suggest you do not. 

[Raptor]

That is a heck of a snow storm. Note a senator got stuck..(shame they all could not get and stay stuck in the snow).

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/virginia-senator-hundreds-trapped-overnight-snowstorm-traffic-jam/story?id=82067117

BTW my other office in Gillette, WY (I am not there this week thank God!) is expecting -35 f wind chill.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/gillette/82716/weather-warnings/336563

[NT2C]

Got power back about noon.  It lasted a whopping 10 full minutes before going out again for another three hours.  Just a tease; enough to make us start unhooking extension cords and shut off the generator.

With the full power restore we got internet connectivity back (those cable booster stations you see up on power poles with a green light on them have battery packs supposed to last 24 hours - few actually do) because the signal boosters got energized.  One thing this issue taught me is that being a ham if fine and all if you want to contact other hams, but not so great for sending texts to regular folks or browsing websites.  Our phones just couldn't get a good signal, so I just purchased a cell signal booster to help with that.  With an external antenna and two antennas inside the house, we should get significantly better connectivity next time.

As for snow... This is what noon on the 3rd looked like here:











Then this was what it looked like a little while ago when I could finally open my garage door:


(someone had an oopsie!)




(I'm thankful my neighbor plowed my driveway but wish he's not buried the truck I'd have used to go anywhere)


(okay, no body slumped on the seat or steering wheel)

[CG]

So...I take it the cats are NOT hanging out on the catio today?

[NT2C]

So...I take it the cats are NOT hanging out on the catio today?

Rupert did actually go out a bit, but once the generator got put out there and fired up they considered it off-limits.

[Raptor]

These pictures are of VA? Amazing. No wonder the interstate was closed.   

[Anianna]

These pictures are of VA? Amazing. No wonder the interstate was closed.

Yea, Squirrely's in the area where it was shut down and where the power has been out so VDOT didn't have access to their cameras there.

I'm seriously annoyed that they had the National Guard "on standby" and didn't use them to ensure those people stranded had what they needed.  Some people ran out of gas in the night, so didn't have heat.  I'm surprised there were no serious incidents from that.  They should have been deployed with water and gas at least, imo.

They've now cleared the backup and things are moving.  They're not moving well and the risk is back up now that it's dark again, but it is moving.

ETA:  Let me clarify; the backup is moving.  Much of the interstate in that area is still closed in order for VDOT to get the roadway cleared of ice and debris.

[flybynight]

Got power back about noon.  It lasted a whopping 10 full minutes before going out again for another three hours.  Just a tease; enough to make us start unhooking extension cords and shut off the generator.

With the full power restore we got internet connectivity back (those cable booster stations you see up on power poles with a green light on them have battery packs supposed to last 24 hours - few actually do) because the signal boosters got energized.  One thing this issue taught me is that being a ham if fine and all if you want to contact other hams, but not so great for sending texts to regular folks or browsing websites.  Our phones just couldn't get a good signal, so I just purchased a cell signal booster to help with that.  With an external antenna and two antennas inside the house, we should get significantly better connectivity next time.

As for snow... This is what noon on the 3rd looked like here:











Then this was what it looked like a little while ago when I could finally open my garage door:


(someone had an oopsie!)




(I'm thankful my neighbor plowed my driveway but wish he's not buried the truck I'd have used to go anywhere)


(okay, no body slumped on the seat or steering wheel)

Wow, thats a lot of snow.    But wasn't that car there since your New Years eve Bash ?

[majorhavoc]

Incredible weather event.  Even here in Maine, that would be considered a major storm.  I was just talking to someone about it and he reminded me I really should have a warm coat and a few other survival items in my car at all times.  I laughed.  And then told him I'd be the guy tramping through the snow tapping on car windows and asking fellow motorists if they needed anything.

Amazing pictures, NT2C.  Glad you had a gennie. 

[NT2C]

As for snow... This is what noon on the 3rd looked like here:

Wow, thats a lot of snow.    But wasn't that car there since your New Years eve Bash ?

You really don't get quite how deep it is in this one... until I point out there's a brick wall around the base of that flagpole that's three bricks high, and there's a line of 12" high solar lights alongside my walkway that parallels the front of the house.  Can't see even a hint of either of them except for maybe the very tops of two lights halfway down the path where there's a little notch in the shape of the building that catches the wind.

[NT2C]

But wasn't that car there since your New Years eve Bash ?

Should I yell at 'em now to get off my lawn?

Well, if it stays there another 28 days it's mine.  Virginia has this nice little law that if you abandon your vehicle on someone else's land you can claim it for yourself after (I think) 30 days.  I own that ditch, right to the edge of the pavement and they've not contacted us at all yet.

[Anianna]

I keep seeing people on social media trying to place blame for the I95 shutdown, but, honestly, this was a really anomalous kind of storm for Virginia.  We go some years with no snow at all and, when we do get snow, it can range anywhere from light powder to wet and heavy, but the really wet heavy stuff is not all that frequent and rarely in these quantities. 

In addition, I95 runs from Florida all the way to Maine, so you have plenty of travelers coming through who haven't the slightest bit of experience with winter weather trying to navigate the worst winter storm we've seen in a long time. 

And much of the interstate couldn't even be pretreated because it rained right up until the snow started falling. 

That's pretty much perfect conditions for disaster.  Nobody can control that.

Although, I am still of the opinion that the National Guard should have been deployed that first night to ensure everybody had water and enough gas to stay warm at the very least. 

[Raptor]

A good story about being stuck on the closed interstate.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/welder-stuck-on-i-95-food-water-strangers

Some advice in the article; never leave home without boots fully laced.

The next morning, Aziz and Hildenbrand used the generator on their welding truck to brew three pots of coffee. Aziz, who told the Post he never leaves home "without my boots laced up" — meaning he always leaves home prepared — had packed Cliff bars, party mix, 32 water bottles, and his mother-in-law's mother's pecan pistachio bread. They shared the coffee, water, and food with other stranded drivers, walking from car to car and knocking on windows to provide a helping hand.

"We're a bit rough around the edges. We're welders. We don't look like the type of people to necessarily be asking to help you out," Hildenbrand told the Post. "Some people didn't roll their windows down, but others saw through that."

One man had several cans of Pepsi in his car. He cut the tops off to create makeshift mugs, filled them with the welders' coffee, and began handing them out to other travelers.

"Before you know it, there were six to eight of us standing around the work truck," Aziz said. "All of us basically admitting that it was this — right here — that had lifted our spirits in just a really" bad situation, he said, using an expletive.

One thing to remember you are almost always better off taking matters into your own hands like these 2 folks did than waiting around for TPTB to 'fix" things.

So with great effort, the two men managed to shove those trees far enough apart that their sturdy four-wheel-drive truck could pass through. They drove over at least a foot of snow and ice to escape on exit 140, leaving a path that was too difficult for most drivers to follow.

As they took the exit, Aziz told the Post he saw a man sitting in a Virginia Department of Transportation truck.

"He was just sitting there in his car all warm and cozy, didn't look like he had a care or concern about all the miles of traffic he was looking at," Aziz said.

"In my opinion, VDOT should have loaded that truck with food and water and that man should have driven along handing out food and water to people that needed it," Hildenbrand said. "It shouldn't have been a couple of welders from New York. The state of Virginia should have pulled its pants up, got out there and done more for the people of Virginia."

[Lambykins]

But wasn't that car there since your New Years eve Bash ?

Should I yell at 'em now to get off my lawn?

Well, if it stays there another 28 days it's mine.  Virginia has this nice little law that if you abandon your vehicle on someone else's land you can claim it for yourself after (I think) 30 days.  I own that ditch, right to the edge of the pavement and they've not contacted us at all yet.

Get the title and I'll find a way to come and get it! Sucks not having a car here!

[NT2C]

But wasn't that car there since your New Years eve Bash ?

Should I yell at 'em now to get off my lawn?

Well, if it stays there another 28 days it's mine.  Virginia has this nice little law that if you abandon your vehicle on someone else's land you can claim it for yourself after (I think) 30 days.  I own that ditch, right to the edge of the pavement and they've not contacted us at all yet.

Get the title and I'll find a way to come and get it! Sucks not having a car here!

They pulled it out and drove it away earlier today.  I recorded it on my security cameras just in case of any legal issues later on.

[Anianna]

A good story about being stuck on the closed interstate.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/welder-stuck-on-i-95-food-water-strangers

Some advice in the article; never leave home without boots fully laced.

The next morning, Aziz and Hildenbrand used the generator on their welding truck to brew three pots of coffee. Aziz, who told the Post he never leaves home "without my boots laced up" — meaning he always leaves home prepared — had packed Cliff bars, party mix, 32 water bottles, and his mother-in-law's mother's pecan pistachio bread. They shared the coffee, water, and food with other stranded drivers, walking from car to car and knocking on windows to provide a helping hand.

"We're a bit rough around the edges. We're welders. We don't look like the type of people to necessarily be asking to help you out," Hildenbrand told the Post. "Some people didn't roll their windows down, but others saw through that."

One man had several cans of Pepsi in his car. He cut the tops off to create makeshift mugs, filled them with the welders' coffee, and began handing them out to other travelers.

"Before you know it, there were six to eight of us standing around the work truck," Aziz said. "All of us basically admitting that it was this — right here — that had lifted our spirits in just a really" bad situation, he said, using an expletive.

One thing to remember you are almost always better off taking matters into your own hands like these 2 folks did than waiting around for TPTB to 'fix" things.

So with great effort, the two men managed to shove those trees far enough apart that their sturdy four-wheel-drive truck could pass through. They drove over at least a foot of snow and ice to escape on exit 140, leaving a path that was too difficult for most drivers to follow.

As they took the exit, Aziz told the Post he saw a man sitting in a Virginia Department of Transportation truck.

"He was just sitting there in his car all warm and cozy, didn't look like he had a care or concern about all the miles of traffic he was looking at," Aziz said.

"In my opinion, VDOT should have loaded that truck with food and water and that man should have driven along handing out food and water to people that needed it," Hildenbrand said. "It shouldn't have been a couple of welders from New York. The state of Virginia should have pulled its pants up, got out there and done more for the people of Virginia."

I know how that may look bad, but there are VDOT people who have to run operations in the field who are not permitted to take action themselves (for good reason) and their truck is their headquarters for the duration.  These guys are usually desk jockeys who are only in the field during snow events to ensure continued operations and they have to just sit in designated locations near the road in order to be available to the work crews.  It's more efficient than having crews return to a VDOT location repeatedly.  Essentially, headquarters comes to them in their area of operations so they can remain in the field.  The vast majority of crews actually operating under VDOT are contractors and any contractor just sitting around doesn't last long. 

Everybody should be aware that ensuring stranded motorists are cared for is outside of most, if not all, DOT's purview.  There are other services for those duties.  The DOT's duty is to clear the roadways and get traffic moving. 

There are other services that should have been deployed to ensure the well-being of those people.  Clearly they were not, so, yea, you should be prepared.   

[majorhavoc]

A good story about being stuck on the closed interstate.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/welder-stuck-on-i-95-food-water-strangers

Some advice in the article; never leave home without boots fully laced.

The next morning, Aziz and Hildenbrand used the generator on their welding truck to brew three pots of coffee. Aziz, who told the Post he never leaves home "without my boots laced up" — meaning he always leaves home prepared — had packed Cliff bars, party mix, 32 water bottles, and his mother-in-law's mother's pecan pistachio bread. They shared the coffee, water, and food with other stranded drivers, walking from car to car and knocking on windows to provide a helping hand.

"We're a bit rough around the edges. We're welders. We don't look like the type of people to necessarily be asking to help you out," Hildenbrand told the Post. "Some people didn't roll their windows down, but others saw through that."

One man had several cans of Pepsi in his car. He cut the tops off to create makeshift mugs, filled them with the welders' coffee, and began handing them out to other travelers.

"Before you know it, there were six to eight of us standing around the work truck," Aziz said. "All of us basically admitting that it was this — right here — that had lifted our spirits in just a really" bad situation, he said, using an expletive.

One thing to remember you are almost always better off taking matters into your own hands like these 2 folks did than waiting around for TPTB to 'fix" things.

So with great effort, the two men managed to shove those trees far enough apart that their sturdy four-wheel-drive truck could pass through. They drove over at least a foot of snow and ice to escape on exit 140, leaving a path that was too difficult for most drivers to follow.

As they took the exit, Aziz told the Post he saw a man sitting in a Virginia Department of Transportation truck.

"He was just sitting there in his car all warm and cozy, didn't look like he had a care or concern about all the miles of traffic he was looking at," Aziz said.

"In my opinion, VDOT should have loaded that truck with food and water and that man should have driven along handing out food and water to people that needed it," Hildenbrand said. "It shouldn't have been a couple of welders from New York. The state of Virginia should have pulled its pants up, got out there and done more for the people of Virginia."

Anianna's reminder about limitations on VDOT personnel stepping outside their established lanes of responsibility is well taken.  But if anything, it reinforces Raptor's central point: in an emergency, especially a widespread emergency, don't expect the authorities to immediately come to your rescue.  You may very well find yourself on your own, perhaps for an extended period.  More than anything else, this is why we prepare. 

As for Aziz and his rough looking welders: I've said it before and I'll say it again.  In times of disaster and human suffering, you have to decide whether you're going to be part of the solution or part of the problem.  Look after your own, for sure.  But if you have the means, help others where you can.