We've been seeing and hearing the rush to the hardware and/or supermarket stories. We can add another to the list: the liquor store. It seems like it's not a major snow event without an adult beverage. I have no problems with the responsible use of alcohol, but shouldn't an emergency be the time to be at your sharpest? I think I answered my own question. The weekend, for most, was far from an emergency.
I was seeing some of those unreliable computer models, everywhere, right up until the flakes began to fly. Advice to weather people: if you don't believe it, don't show it. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. There is no shame in saying "it's too early to give you an accurate prediction on snow totals."
Thanks to my Amazon Echo and C. Crane radio, internet listening is an absolute breeze. WTOP in Washington and WBAL in Baltimore, the blow torches, were outstanding. KYW in Philadelphia was at its solid best. The same goes for WCBS and WINS in New York. Listening to radio done right, especially in a "big news" situation, is an absolute delight. Information without the hysterics.
I do this absolutely insane thing when big snow is predicted. I constantly check the forecast, in hopes of seeing the predicted totals come down. Last week, it was just the opposite. I kept checking the forecast to make sure the totals were low, and they stayed that way, for the most part. They started creeping up late Friday night.
A big stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed for a big hunk of the weekend. Hundreds of people were stranded. There is absolutely no reason some something like that to happen. Somebody really dropped the ball.
Washington, DC constantly amazes me. Less than an inch of snow and ice paralyzed the city-- and that was days before the big one hit. It is incompetence at its highest level.
I saw examples of kindness at its highest level. Several WNEP stories featured people digging out their neighbors, offering rides, providing food and shelter. We live in a great area.
It's always a kick to see former co-workers shine in big news situations. Cases in point: The Weather Channel's Raegan Medgie, WBAL's Phil Yacuboski, photographer Ben Rice at WJLA, and WPVI's Trish Hartman.
I admit, I was lucky. Where I live, the storm was a broom event rather than one that required a shovel. Travel to and from work was a breeze.
