Blizzard of ’78 repeats here in New England 2013 |

Its the 35th. Anniversary week of the Blizzard of ’78 here in New England and another similar storm system of it’s kind is currently baring down on us as I Blog. I usually start my Friday post with my pizza stories and weekend plans but with this epic storm on the way, I felt it was time to reflect on the Blizzard of 78 and the one on it’s way now as I look out over my coffee mug, through the window at the ominous sky above.

In 1978, I was 15 years old and heading home from high school on the City bus and was so happy to see my Mom getting onto the bus at it’s second stop. We were happy to be united as we were afraid of the impending storm system and couldn’t wait to get home. Little did we know, we wouldn’t make it home…for days.

It took us 2 hours just to get 500 yards from the center of the city of Providence to a fire station, where we were instructed to get out and take shelter in the station as the heat on the bus was broken and it was out of gas.

Upon getting off the bus in the middle of what was unusually heavy snow at this point, in the middle of a traffic jam, I saw a familiar sight and started yelling for my Mom who was on her way into the fire station. It was my Dads car about 20 feet in front of us in the middle of the caravan of cars. What were the chances? My Mom wasn’t sure because the snow was covering the cars and license plates by now. I ran as fast as I could to the car, thinking of how warm it must be inside and we were sure to get home now! I brushed off the plates and started screaming for my Mom to come on while banging on the car. My Mom started on her way over as my Dad started reaching around locking all the doors! Poor Man, I was at a fever pitch at that point and he thought we were early day car jackers! I laugh every time I think of it and miss him every day after losing him just 2 years ago.

Blizzard of ’78

Once we finally got inside, it was sooo nice and warm and felt like we were already home. Except we sat, in traffic and inched along another 50 yards or so for yet another 2 hours.

Once again, there was knocking on the car window (now Mom and I were scared). My Dad rolled down the window (yes “rolled”) to a woman and her daughter who were walking in all that snow and cold, from car to car offering hot coffee and hot chocolate from thermos’ that she poured into the Styrofoam cups her daughter was carrying. How unbelievably kind and considerate and wonderful. We thanked them and watched them make their way up the street to about 20 cars in front of us where they met a police officer telling them to go back. Once back to the area our car was in, we all got out to thank them again. The woman told my parents the police officer was making his way down to tell everyone to shut their cars and abandon ship and find shelter back at the fire station, any open stores or to the Marriott Hotel that was about another 50 yards or less up the road. In the meantime the woman’s daughter and I hit it off really well and exchanged numbers on scrap pieces of paper, I put it in my coat pocket and promised to stay in touch and they went in another direction.

We didn’t wait for the officer, we just started walking. We didn’t live far from the hotel so we figured if we made it there okay we would just continue on. Well, by the time we got to the Marriott, I couldn’t feel my feet and my poor Mom had a dress on, we just couldn’t go on.

Inside the hotel were hundreds of people! It felt nice to be warm and even nicer to be handed towels from the staff to help us all dry off. Of course there were NO rooms to be had but they offered lobby furniture and hallway floors and gave out blankets, pillows, fruit, bread and juices. My Dad made his way to the bar for a Budweiser as Mom and I walked around, freshened up and found a nice corner on the rug for our night slumber.

Dad came to us a couple hours later with a new friend he made in the bar, a man who was in Rhode Island on business and he introduced us to him. He said goodnight and told us it was nice meeting such a nice looking family and headed to his room. 15 minutes later he was back. He said he couldn’t even think about getting in one of his 2 queen beds that evening when a lovely lady and her daughter were about to sleep on the floor of a hotel corridor and insisted we all take his room and would not take no for an answer. Needless to say, we were all very grateful.

We were trapped at the hotel for about 3 days to the point of them running out of food and beverages. Mom and I couldn’t stand another night of it (Dad was secretly having fun with his new friend at the bar each day, it was like a party every day in there) and had been in touch with my brother (who we called Grizzly Adams because he’s such a lumberjack) who got together with my sisters boyfriend and came up with an idea to “shovel” their way from our home to the hotel, leaving a path for us to walk back home on. It turned out to be a great idea because on their way, they picked up others who joined in and made it easier and faster. I’ve never seen so many people pull together the way people did during this storm. Of course we had to wait for my brother and all HIS new snow friends to thaw out at the blizzard party that never ended in the hotel bar before we made it back. On our journey back home, some small stores shoveled out their front doors and were giving away bread and milk and other groceries and people were arriving with sleds to carry the stuff back home. Unbelievable!

Blizzard of ’78

Once we got home I was never so happy we had a wood burning built in fireplace in our cottage and my sister had it going and it was nice and warm because we had lost electricity! She made lunch-meat sandwiches and I couldn’t WAIT to shower and change my clothes! We were without electric for a few more days but my Mom had a well stocked pantry in the basement so we were good. We all helped each other on the street to shovel out and even shoveled the street itself! We build snowmen and igloos and were so happy to be out of school!

My Mom wrote a thank-you card to the man that was in town on business who gave us his room and while watching her, my sister told me that some girl kept calling for me while we were at the hotel but she couldn’t remember her name but wrote the number down. When I went to look at the number, I got the paper from my coat pocket and it matched the woman and her daughter who walked from car to car serving strangers coffee to help keep them warm.

35 years later, she and I are STILL friends!
As we embark on yet another storm of that style, think of others, check on friends and family, stock your pantry, buy some beer and meet new friends…contact old ones, but most of all, stay friends.

Here’s a great link (we still have our Special Insert Edition from ’78). There’s a special television program on MeTV tonight at 10pm about the Blizzard of ’78: