I have lived through several "storms of the century". There was little to fear when we lived in California (maybe a few minor earthquakes). But all that changed when we moved to Illinois. There were major snowstorms, and we also learned about tornado warnings and watches.
Our home in Illinois was built in several stages. Since the basement was the original dwelling for the builder and his family, it was reinforced and we were perfectly safe from tornados while downstairs. Many nights we were awakened by our parents and told to grab our pillow and go to the basement. When we got there, Mom had blankets and sleeping bags laid out on the cement floor. We'd line up our pillows and snuggle in to sleep the best we could. When the threat passed, we were again woken up and we'd trudge upstairs to our beds. A tornado never touched down near our house, but it was possible.
There are only a few storms that I consider truly memorable. The first was a 1967 snowstorm in Illinois. The forecast called for a few inches of snow, but overnight the storm developed into a monster blizzard. By the time it stopped snowing, it measured about an inch or two below my waist. We were safe and secure at home but all that snow paralyzed the entire greater Chicago area. My Dad was traveling in South America, and had a hard time getting home because of the airline delays. When his plane finally landed, he got a taxi at the airport to bring him home. Our street (a one-lane dirt road) was not plowed and the cabdriver wouldn't drive up (we lived almost a mile up the road). I remember my Dad trudging through the snow with his South American tan, snow over his knees and pulling a sled full of luggage.
Fast forward to late 1973 in New Canaan, CT. When the historic ice storm hit two weeks before Christmas, my Dad was again traveling. Barbie and Cherie were both in college (I think?) and I had been dating Rich (later my husband) since that summer. We rarely lost power, but this time when it went out, it stayed out for over a week. The first few days were an adventure - we gathered around the fireplace in the living room and ate everything we could from the refrigerator. But then, as the days went by it got colder and colder in the house. Mom dispatched Greg and Sue to load the sled up with wood for the fireplace, but the wind was strong and we lived on a hill. Try as they might (and they were little kids!) they could only get a few logs at a time to the house from the pile at the bottom of the hill.
After several days, the goldfish bowl froze solid, and ice was starting to form in the toilets. Mom knew she needed to do something quickly to keep us warm and fed. Tom, Ricky, Greg and Susie were dispatched to stay at friends houses that had power or generators. Rich lived in Danbury and found out the power was on there. So the rest of us piled into his car and we made our way to his apartment. Margie, Kitty and I slept in blankets on his living room floor. He slept in an oversize chair. And when he gave my Mom his bed and the warmest blankets he could find, he was golden in her eyes. I think power was restored in the next day or two. But it was a very scary week.
Hurricane Sandy has passed and we've been spared the worst. Many homes on the CT shoreline are damaged and a few even washed away, but the the damage to life and property is certainly less than originally predicted. We are fortunate. Happy Halloween!
There are only a few storms that I consider truly memorable. The first was a 1967 snowstorm in Illinois. The forecast called for a few inches of snow, but overnight the storm developed into a monster blizzard. By the time it stopped snowing, it measured about an inch or two below my waist. We were safe and secure at home but all that snow paralyzed the entire greater Chicago area. My Dad was traveling in South America, and had a hard time getting home because of the airline delays. When his plane finally landed, he got a taxi at the airport to bring him home. Our street (a one-lane dirt road) was not plowed and the cabdriver wouldn't drive up (we lived almost a mile up the road). I remember my Dad trudging through the snow with his South American tan, snow over his knees and pulling a sled full of luggage.
Fast forward to late 1973 in New Canaan, CT. When the historic ice storm hit two weeks before Christmas, my Dad was again traveling. Barbie and Cherie were both in college (I think?) and I had been dating Rich (later my husband) since that summer. We rarely lost power, but this time when it went out, it stayed out for over a week. The first few days were an adventure - we gathered around the fireplace in the living room and ate everything we could from the refrigerator. But then, as the days went by it got colder and colder in the house. Mom dispatched Greg and Sue to load the sled up with wood for the fireplace, but the wind was strong and we lived on a hill. Try as they might (and they were little kids!) they could only get a few logs at a time to the house from the pile at the bottom of the hill.
After several days, the goldfish bowl froze solid, and ice was starting to form in the toilets. Mom knew she needed to do something quickly to keep us warm and fed. Tom, Ricky, Greg and Susie were dispatched to stay at friends houses that had power or generators. Rich lived in Danbury and found out the power was on there. So the rest of us piled into his car and we made our way to his apartment. Margie, Kitty and I slept in blankets on his living room floor. He slept in an oversize chair. And when he gave my Mom his bed and the warmest blankets he could find, he was golden in her eyes. I think power was restored in the next day or two. But it was a very scary week.
Hurricane Sandy has passed and we've been spared the worst. Many homes on the CT shoreline are damaged and a few even washed away, but the the damage to life and property is certainly less than originally predicted. We are fortunate. Happy Halloween!
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