36 years ago today--a real blizzard

[Doc1647545523]

With our recent weather events and talk of the polar vortex and all, I thought some of you might enjoy the stories of CR members from the Blizzard of '78. Here's the thread I posted about four years ago:

 

http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77147

 

Warning: I do most of the storytelling in the thread.

[MrMeanGreen]

If we could only get AEP to turn the electricity on in two days in modern times...

[Doc1647545523]

If we could only get AEP to turn the electricity on in two days in modern times...

 

I don't know enough about power transmission technology to say whether our current infrastructure is more resilient or less resilient to this type of weather event. My guess is that today's equipment is more complex to restore when it fails.

 

However, what I think I do know is that there was an outpouring of citizens "pitching in" to help neighbors, utility crews, and government employees back in 1978. It's hard for me to imagine many people turning over their snowmobiles and trucks to strangers these days. In the thread you'll see stories of how CR members' parents and grandparents made sacrifices to help with the community efforts.

 

Also keep in mind that the Ohio National Guard and the Army Engineers were on the case as well. The military came in to do the "heavy lifting" to minimize deaths, but still 51 people died in Ohio as a direct result of the blizzard.

 

There were many unsung heroes of this disaster.

[BrianZ06]

I have few memories of that storm. I'm not a great story teller but here it goes. I remember this the most. I was a young teenager at the time. My Dad had a 75 Monte Carlo that he special ordered with swivel bucket seats,console,gauges,400 small block instead of the 350,silver with a red landau top . I remember sitting next to him at the dealership at the time he was negotiating the deal. He never let much of anything stop in from going to work or anything in general. At the start of the storm with plenty of snow on the ground he wanted to go to the store and I remember being in the pass seat while he was giving that monte carlo hell . We had to turn back after only making it a few blocks down the road. Things were really different back then.

[BrianZ06]

I don't know enough about power transmission technology to say whether our current infrastructure is more resilient or less resilient to this type of weather event. My guess is that today's equipment is more complex to restore when it fails.

 

However, what I think I do know is that there was an outpouring of citizens "pitching in" to help neighbors, utility crews, and government employees back in 1978. It's hard for me to imagine many people turning over their snowmobiles and trucks to strangers these days. In the thread you'll see stories of how CR members' parents and grandparents made sacrifices to help with the community efforts.

 

Also keep in mind that the Ohio National Guard and the Army Engineers were on the case as well. The military came in to do the "heavy lifting" to minimize deaths, but still 51 people died in Ohio as a direct result of the blizzard.

 

There were many unsung heroes of this disaster.

 

Hard to say how people would react today in the same situation. Different world we live in today.

[LJ]

 

However, what I think I do know is that there was an outpouring of citizens "pitching in" to help neighbors, utility crews, and government employees back in 1978. It's hard for me to imagine many people turning over their snowmobiles and trucks to strangers these days. In the thread you'll see stories of how CR members' parents and grandparents made sacrifices to help with the community efforts.

 

 

My dad and uncle lent their K5 blazers to the local FD immediately after the storm. The FD ended up buying my dad's and its still their brush fire response vehicle

[Tractor]

It was a different time, I was born that year so I don't remember it, but growing up in a small "never changing" region of Ohio I know how the people probably helped out and had the ability to do so. These days and especially in the our cities people simply don't have the skills or equipment to help even if they want to. There is the fear of being sued, but I think that is a small fear to most good people.

 

I'm still one of the good ole boys that will help at the drop of a hat and there are lots around. Especially in the 4x4, military vehicle, and ham radio groups.

[Tractor]

My dad and uncle lent their K5 blazers to the local FD immediately after the storm. The FD ended up buying my dad's and its still their brush fire response vehicle

 

Thats actually a good point. Down where I was from many people didn't have 4x4's at the time. Just throw chains on the above mentioned monte carlo and give it hell. YEEHA

[BrianZ06]

We might be surprised on how people would react to a disaster like that.

[TTQ B4U]

I have few memories of that storm. I'm not a great story teller but here it goes. I remember this the most. I was a young teenager at the time. My Dad had a 75 Monte Carlo that he special ordered with swivel bucket seats,console,gauges,400 small block instead of the 350,silver with a red landau top .

 

How funny.....my father had a blue 73 Monte but my brother who at the time was 20 ordered a 1975 just like your fathers, only his was Red with a white landau top and black interior. Loved those swivel seats and console. I remember he got 3 tickets in one week and lost his license for a short time after getting it

 

Man, I gotta dig up some more old pics and scan them....

 

Back on topic, I was 8yrs old when the big one hit. I just remember being hunkered down in our finished basement staying up late to watching movies, playing games and awaiting the news every night to see if school was cancelled for yet another day.

[BrianZ06]

The Monte Carlo story is just a nice old memory that I have and the thread topic reminded me of it again.

[ImUrOBGYN]

36 years ago, today.... Hmm. Oh yes, I was in southern California. If memory serves me correct, we weren't worried about snow.

[LJ]

Thats actually a good point. Down where I was from many people didn't have 4x4's at the time. Just throw chains on the above mentioned monte carlo and give it hell. YEEHA

 

Those K5's were a huge deal when they came out

[buelliganx1]

36 years ago today I was almost 4 years old, I don't have any memories of the storm and dont really remember my folks talking about anything bad happening. We lived on the north side of Columbus on McGuffey Rd but I dont think we lost power or were stuck in the house for very long. As fun as that stuff was when I was young now that I am older and have kids and a family to keep warm and safe I dread the thought of something like that happening. My 80+ year old house holds in heat like a screen door and if we lost power for any length of time especially with these below zero temps I'm not sure how long my 2 Kerosene and 1 propane heater would keep this old house warm.

I would hope that especially in a small community like we live in now that people would band together and help each other through something like a blizzard but I'm not so sure that folks would do that anymore either through lack of caring or like has been covered here before just lack of skills and equipment.

[Mace1647545504]

I live in a cardinal apartment and the windows were sieves and i had some plastic i was going to put up forever and hadn't done it. The night before i got a wild hair and did it.

The the morning I wake up to a flapping sound...it was the plastic on the windows going back and forth and no heat(electric also).

I got up to turn my t.v. on but hmmmm ..no electricity..yes i had paid the bill. I then opened to door to see nothing but ice cold air and now blowing.

It was my day off so I got up and decided to go somewhere any where...ahh yes no phone as there were no cell phones yet. I go you to my car...a pinto..only to find it frozen to the parking lot. Honestly, the tires were in at least 2" of ice.

Went back into my apartment and made myself something to eat. The electricity came back fairly quick and I made some calls only to find out that everyone was snowed in.

mace

[jerrodh]

Awesome pictures Doc thanks for the story. I would never wish for such a disaster but man would that have been something to see. The pictures are unbelievable.

[BrianZ06]

The Pinto,lol. That just brought up another memory but I won't go into that one. I don't want to get off the thread topic.

[MattKatz]

I was born in that mess.

[gillbot]

I don't know enough about power transmission technology to say whether our current infrastructure is more resilient or less resilient to this type of weather event. My guess is that today's equipment is more complex to restore when it fails.

 

However, what I think I do know is that there was an outpouring of citizens "pitching in" to help neighbors, utility crews, and government employees back in 1978. It's hard for me to imagine many people turning over their snowmobiles and trucks to strangers these days. In the thread you'll see stories of how CR members' parents and grandparents made sacrifices to help with the community efforts.

 

Also keep in mind that the Ohio National Guard and the Army Engineers were on the case as well. The military came in to do the "heavy lifting" to minimize deaths, but still 51 people died in Ohio as a direct result of the blizzard.

 

There were many unsung heroes of this disaster.

 

I think it has more to do with an aging infrastructure today than technology. Now the interconnects can be remotely managed but failures present more problems than anything else. 30+ years ago, power plants were still being built or they weren't "that old", now they are well past their expected service life with nothing new really being permitted. If you think power problems now are bad, wait a few years. It's going to get messy soon if we don't do something about the aging generation facilities and grid.

[SRTurbo04]

Way before my time. Sounds interesting.

[Cordell]

Way before my time. Sounds interesting.

 

You're not the only one, as a matter of fact 36 years ago, me, my wife, my house, my cars, did not exist. I remember in the early 90s being in middle school having a couple years with multiple decent snows and subzero temps, but nothing that could be described as a blizzard.

[koolrayz]

I lived in wyo during that time period. I was working on drilling rigs in the middle of nowhere. Cars were completely drifted over and we would regularly be snowed in on the rig for days at a time. It was so cold that propaine would not vaporize. We would heat a small bottle in our truck then use it on a torch to heat the bigger tanks for the trailers. I got frost bite so bad I lost finger nails and had blood blisters. I had no feeling in many of my finger tips for years.

 

It was the summer of 77 that we built an 8 sided cabin 16' across in a wilderness area 3 or 4 miles off the road. We carried a pot bellied stove into it and would cross country ski and spend the weekends there.

 

After the really hard cold snaps we would go from vehicle to vehicle with tarps, torpedoe heaters and battery chargers starting the cars in the neighborhood.