Community Chat

[golding76]

The D.C. Metro Area does not always rise to the occasion when it comes to unexpectedly heavy and fast snowfalls.  Sometimes it can anticipate and do well, and at other times, many on the road show what witless drivers we prove to be at times (me included), and the authorities do not have a solution at the ready for the havoc that follows.  

The result is something like what just happened on I-95 and, as Isobel Archer probably remembers, what happened several years ago on Route 7 in Virginia.  Holy Toledo!  What a (you know what) that was.

One of my sons was stuck in that madness.  He was on Route 7, near Tysons Corner, Va., but closer to Reston when all of a sudden tons of snow fell from the sky.   From what I remember of his description, most drivers became immediately inept.  He correctly figured out that if he tried to get to his home, which was not that far from where he first became stuck in traffic, it would take longer than trying to come to the family home, which was at a greater distance from him. 

Ordinarily, the trip from the Tysons area, leaving from Route 7, takes no more than 20 minutes.  On that night, it took him 8 HOURS to reach our home.  I kid you not.

People were running their wheels hard and getting stuck, skidding and crashing or sliding into the side of the road.  It was a dreadful event.  Strange that it doesn't hold a candle to what happened here in Virginia the other day.   

I forgot to add that there was a woeful absence of leadership the other day (and I very much like this governor; he kept us safe during the pandemic).  We were rudderless.  I panic in such situations and want a deus ex machina to come down from the heavens to pick me up and take me home.  I cannot imagine the dread and discomfort that those stuck on I-95 must have felt.

[Carmie]

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@RespectLife wrote:

@Carmie 

Wanting to be with your family for Christmas  is not stupid nor is it crazy.

This virus will be with us for a very, very long time.  We have to learn to 'live' with it.

My family has decided we will not hide in fear.

Your post was very harsh.  We all make our OWN decisions on how to live...or not live.

@Pook 

I have to disagree with you on this one.  It is not an obsession to want to be with your family for the holidays.  It is making cherished memories as none of us know what the future will hold.

Travel delays before Vid were just as common.  Weather in the East is so unpredictable!

98% recover, we have therapies now, we have no complicated medical issues....as I said....I will not hide, I will not live in fear.

I will follow the rules and be careful.

I know of TONS of people who travelled AND got together for Thanksgiving, Christmas AND New Years.

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Everyone can live their life as they want to, but when someone gets sick or dies, I don't want to hear them crying. it is a shame that they have the possibility of taking someone else's life as well as their own.

My family's Christmas was ruined.  My Son in laws aunt  went to my granddaughter concert the Wednesday before Christmas.  She didn't tell anyone she didn't feel well.  She was seated next to my daughter in a packed High School gym.  

The next day she tested positive for COVID.  The family members who were there with her had to quarantine for Christmas in their own houses.  They didn't have Christmas together.  My daughter, her DH and my granddaughter had to quarantine over Christmas. Also, they missed work for 10 days along with other family members.

Thankfully, no one in our family got sick, but I have no idea if anyone else that was there did.  I, thankfully, did not go to the concert.

I had a dentist appt. this afternoon.  My dentist has covid and I saw a dentist I never  met before.  Two of my neighbors have COVID as well as quite a few people I know and our area hospitals are filled to capacity right now.

The therapies are not available in my area yet.  My SIL's aunt has gone to the ER three times and insisted she wanted the new pills.  They had none to give her and sent her home.

During the summer months, we can be out and about outdoors, but being inside while there is a surge with a crowd is just plain stupid.  There is no way to make people quarantine when they are sick and there is a lot of people spending the holidays together.

Did you read about the surge of COVID that occurred over the holidays?

I just read where a health care worker treated a COVID patient, and then saw her out shopping when she was supposed to be in quarantine.

Yeah, make your memories.  For many people, that could be their last memory.  

Harsh?  It should be harsh.  I'm don't live in fear, but I don't act stupid.  It is just plan stupid to get into a packed plane with hundreds of people.

[Trinity11]

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@Carmie wrote:

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@RespectLife wrote:

@Carmie 

Wanting to be with your family for Christmas  is not stupid nor is it crazy.

This virus will be with us for a very, very long time.  We have to learn to 'live' with it.

My family has decided we will not hide in fear.

Your post was very harsh.  We all make our OWN decisions on how to live...or not live.

@Pook 

I have to disagree with you on this one.  It is not an obsession to want to be with your family for the holidays.  It is making cherished memories as none of us know what the future will hold.

Travel delays before Vid were just as common.  Weather in the East is so unpredictable!

98% recover, we have therapies now, we have no complicated medical issues....as I said....I will not hide, I will not live in fear.

I will follow the rules and be careful.

I know of TONS of people who travelled AND got together for Thanksgiving, Christmas AND New Years.

---

Everyone can live their life as they want to, but when someone gets sick or dies, I don't want to hear them crying. it is a shame that they have the possibility of taking someone else's life as well as their own.

My family's Christmas was ruined.  My Son in laws waunt when to my granddaughter concert the Wednesday before Christmas.  She didn't tell anyone she didn't feel well.  She was seated next to my daughter in a packed High School gym.  

The next day she tested positive for COVID.  The family members who were there with her had to quarantine for Christmas in their own houses.  They didn't have Christmas together.  My daughter, her DH and my granddaughter had to quarantine over Christmas. Also, they missed work for 10 days along with other family members.

Thankfully, no one in our family got sick, but I have no idea if anyone else that was there did.  I, thankfully, did not go to the concert.

I had a dentist appt. this afternoon.  My dentist has covid and I saw a dentist I never  met before.  Two of my neighbors have COVID as well as quite a few people I know and our area hospitals are filled to capacity right now.

The therapies are not available in my area yet.  My SIL's aunt has gone to the ER three times and insisted she wanted the new pills.  They had none to give her and sent her home.

During the summer months, we can be out and about outdoors, but being inside while there is a surge with a crowd is just plain stupid.  There is no way to make people quarantine when they are sick and there is a lot of people spending the holidays together.

Did you read about the surge of COVID that occurred over the holidays?

I just read where a health care worker treated a COVID patient, and then saw her out shopping when she was supposed to be in quarantine.

Yeah, make your memories.  For many people, that could be their last memory.  

Harsh?  It should be harsh.  I'm don't live in fear, but I don't act stupid.  It is just plan stupid to get into a packed plane with hundreds of people.

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Didn't you post you haven't been vaccinated at all?

[bonnielu]

Our area, north central Md on the WV border did not get hit which is unusual.  It is usually us... living 65 miles north of DC and 65 miles west of Baltimore.  We often travel 95 to visit relatives and are happy we did not even need to attempt it.  But the whole thing got me thinking. I am going to pack my car with supplies... snacks, blankets, reading material.... just to have them available just in case WE ARE NEXT.  

I do believe  they could have  done a better job clearing it up and could have gotten help.

I remember our area had a horrible snow storm years back and we got help from plows as far north as Rochester NY when our equipment could not handle the situation. 

[Toppers3]

There are those of us who live in northern states who are used to getting snow, but if I can be of any comfort to you, people still have difficulty with Winter weather driving whenever it happens.

Tuesday of last week was our first Winter Weather Advisory here in my area of Wisconsin. 

We had a mix of rain and snow, depending on where you were. If you were closer to Lake Michigan, it was more rain. If you were farther north, it was more snow. Then you had areas of sleet.

I had a doctor's appointment that day so we were out in that weather at the height of the storm.

People were off in ravines and ditches and we had just seen a one-vehicle accident where one poor soul had driven into a light post/pole.

It wasn't safe for us to stop and help them, otherwise we would have offered our assistance to that poor driver. 

No matter how much you try to prepare, I don't think that you can be completely prepared for those circumstances.

The best thing that I think that you can do when driving in bad weather is to slow down and keep a safe distance from other drivers, and to make sure that your tires are in good shape for Winter weather or for wet weather.

[Isobel Archer]

We've had weather warnings beginning yesterday and all day today of another potential 6 inches of snow tonight.

Will this be a surprise too I wonder.

[ValuSkr]

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@bonnielu wrote:

I remember our area had a horrible snow storm years back and we got help from plows as far north as Rochester NY when our equipment could not handle the situation. 

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Rochester, NY and surrounding towns are well-equipped to handle a lot of snow,  I'm glad they were able to come to your aid.

[Duckncover]

I have a friend whose son, daughter in-law, and their two kids are stuck in Belgium due to passport issues; somehow it is due to Covid, so have no idea how that enters into it, but they were to fly out on Dec 28 and are still there.....but they are visiting family so they are not sleeping on the floor in the airport...

[FiddleDeeDee]

This was our experience....

Youngest 2 sons flew up to Baltimore from Tampa on the 26th. Plane was not crowded, no delays, no issues. Due to costs for round trip ($2000 for BOTH of them round trip but only $225 for one way to Baltimore), we decided we (DH and I) would drive up, pick them up while visiting the family and then drive back down. It's 14 hours straight so we split the driving and do it without issue.

We headed back down on Sunday 1/2. A 14 hour drive that took us 25 hours do to the weather; not snow but the horrible front that came in just prior (HEAVY rains with flooding and very low visibility with cold temps moving in). We knew rain was going to be the issue and chose to drive then because we ALSO knew that SNOW was moving into the area Sunday night and knowing how the area deals with snow (not very well) we didn't want to be stuck in MD with school starting on 12/4 in Florida.

We started out at 7 but blew out BOTH rear tires just past Richmond and had to wait until noon to not only purchase but then have the tires installed. This put us 5 hours behind schedule. Heading down 95 we eventually hit the storm that would dump all that snow further up; it was rain and wind and we spent the next 20 hours driving VERY slowly due to horrible visibility and accidents galore. The calls starting coming later in the night as the snow started falling from friends first in VA and then everyone in MD because we didn't role into our home until almost 3 am Monday morning.  DH had  commented that if this was turning into snow as it moved up the coast, God help them because it's going to be a bad one.

Meanwhile, a co-worker was FLYING during this mess. Turbulence so bad that everyone had to stay strapped in from BWI to Tampa. Turbulence so bad that no drinks or snacks were being served. Turbulence so bad that she and others were throwing up and many believed they would crash. Terrifying experience with LOTS of praying going on she told him yesterday at work. She does NOT want to fly for a LONG time now.

Another co-worker was caught in the snow. He, active duty Marines, had everything he needed to survive the snow. He checked on others, shared what he had and actually enjoyed it because he was prepared (and had dealt with FAR, FAR more).  

The consensus is that any state that doesn't have to deal with this on a consistent basis simply doesn't have the training, the tools, the knowledge. Everyone agreed that had this been way up North (Maine, NY, Canada, Vermont, etc) or North Dakota, MN, Montana, etc that it would have been a different scenario simply due to people not only being prepared with items in their car, but HOW they drive plus the local government knowing what to do.  Luckily, nobody died. It was fun for the majority but no one died.