Sunday, January 12, 2014

City Ice

Want to shut this state down? Bring everything to a halt? Send in the ice. I think it was around 1974 that we got hit with some very strange weather. We had a typical Maine winter snowstorm that without warning turned into to a soaking deluge of rain. I mean it rained, and rained and rained some more. Then before the plows could get out and do their thing, we got a flash freeze. The roads turned into solid ice about 6 inches thick in some places. It was crazy! Many of the streets in the city were impassable, with vehicles parked on both sides. There was only room for a single car to negotiate a passage at a time. Some streets were actually closed. Streets were deep-rutted, frozen masses of ice. The Portland schools were closed for 9 days it was so bad. Even for me, it's hard to image that a city could be brought to its knees so fast like this, but it happened. Out our way, I can't remember losing power. I don't think we did. The storm was one of those freaks of nature that comes from out of the blue. The damage was done before anyone had a chance to prepare. It caught everyone by surprise. Plow trucks were rendered useless. The city just had to wait for a thaw, and mother nature took her sweet time.
Ice can do that.
Yes, it can!

14 comments:

  1. I thought freak weather happened only in the Midwest. Hope you are taking care of your fine-feathered friends.

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  2. we had several inches of ice in dallas this season. really hit them hard. thankfully they had invested in some snow plows (think superbowl debacle) and had to use them to scrape the ice off the freeways that wouldn't melt for days.

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  3. I'm so glad I don't have to worry about that. Flash heat on the other hand could pose a problem.

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  4. Ice is melting here today. I hope you are not slipping around the paths.

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  5. Severe weather shows us just how fragile civilization is. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, "Mother Nature always bats last."

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  6. That ice is beautiful but treacherous, ayuh.

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  7. Scary stuff! There is still a lot of ice here from the storm before Christmas.

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  8. Snow is one thing, but ice is a different animal altogether. It can be quite unrelenting.

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  9. Brrrr. Come on down, Birdperson.

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  10. Frightening, since I know how hilly Portland is, particularly going down to the harbor. You know how to deal with snow but nine days of closed schools is unimaginable.

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  11. Well, what causes problems where you live is the actual ice or snow. Here, the mere threat of ice or snow causes mayhem, and the stores to empty of milk and bread.

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  12. Looks like they need a better heating system.

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  13. Ice sure can bring things to a halt and if you are not careful, there are way too many opportunities for falling.... No thank you.

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  14. I hope 2014 proves to be a good year for you and yours!

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