Digging out - 3:06 p.m. update
|
|
A group of youngsters race up Church Hill in Rutland for a morning of sledding after Wednesday's massive snowstorm. Albert J. Marro / Rutland Herald |
Toolbox
Staff reports - Published: February 15, 2007
The Valentine's Day blizzard is one for the history books.
The storm set records in Vermont for the greatest amount of snowfall in a 24-hour period and earned a spot as the second-greatest snowstorm ever in Vermont.
The 25.3 inches of snowfall Wednesday measured in Burlington topped the previous 24-hour period record of 23.1 inches on Jan. 14, 1934, according to the National Weather Service at the Burlington International Airport. Official measurements for state weather records date back to 1883 and are collected at the airport in Burlington.
The Valentine's Day storm that spread into Thursday morning now ranks second as the state's all-time biggest snowstorm, behind only the 29.8 inches of snowfall recorded in storm that spread over a three-day period in Dec. 25-28, 1969.
In addition, the storm made Wednesday the snowiest Valentine's Day in the state's history, easily topping the previous record of 7.8 inches of snow recorded on Feb. 14, 2000.
While official measurements for records are taken from the airport in Burlington, other locations around Vermont reported varying snowfall totals ranging from more than a foot to nearly 3 feet.
In Rutland County, Killington reported 30 inches of snow, followed by 27 inches of snow in West Rutland, 22 inches in Rutland, and 20 inches in Poultney, according to National Weather Service unofficial observations.
Central Vermont, included Washington County, appeared to be the hardest-hit region of the state. Montpelier reported 30 inches of snow as did Waterbury Center. Barre had 28 inches of snow, Worcester, 27 inches, Northfield, 25.8 inches, and Plainfield, 19 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
The following is a link to National Weather Service "unofficial observations" of snowfall totals from around Vermont reported Thursday morning: srh.noaa.gov/data/BTV/PNSBTV.
State reacts
At least 21 cows were killed during the collapse of eight barns due to the weight of snow, Gov. James Douglas said Thursday.
"There have been some casualties among farm animals," Douglas said.
There were also some farms isolated on roads that had not been plowed out.
"Some back roads have been impossible for milk trucks," Douglas said.
Those roads, which if impassable could require milk to be dumped, should be a priority and the state will help towns plow them where possible, the governor said.
Sen. Phil Scott, R-Washington, a former president of the Associated General Contractors of Vermont, asked members of the organization to help farmers and others dig out after the storm.
"Even thought it has stopped snowing the danger is still there," he said.
The cold temperatures meant the snow was not very heavy, one reason there were relatively few power outages. However, if the weather warms up, that could change, Scott said.
"There could be some other major collapses," he said.
Douglas thanked Vermonters "for once again rising to the challenge of this epic winter storm."
The state road crews especially should be commended, he added.
"They didn't get much sleep but they were out there clearing the roads for people could get around the state today," he said.
The cooperation and common sense of Vermonters in helping each other and in staying off the roads as much as possible is one reason he did not feel it was necessary to declare a state of emergency, Douglas said.
"It didn't appear to be necessary to declare a state of emergency because everyone was cooperating and doing a great job," he said.
Douglas said he decided to make the return journey home from Central Vermont to Middlebury Wednesday night, despite the weather, given that he has a four-wheel drive car and experienced state police driver.
"It seemed prudent to make the trip so I did," he said.
Douglas said high school students should use some of their day off from school to help neighbors shovel out after the storm. He also warned Vermonters to take frequent breaks during shoveling to avoid back injuries and heart attacks, to not idle their cars if the exhaust pipes are buried under snow and to make sure that heaters or generators were not causing dangerous back-ups of carbon monoxide.
As for his own driveway, Douglas said his snow blower broke part-way through cleaning up from the blizzard.
"The third biggest snow fall in history and the spring broke," he said. "I have to get a part."
In addition, state offices remained closed Thursday morning but reopened at noon. Designated staff providing essential services in facilities that must remain operational will be working.
Digging out
As the storm blew out of the region Thursday, Vermonters spent much of the day digging out.
Vermont's electric companies, braced for widespread power outages, reported only scattered problems throughout the state.
Central Vermont Public Service, the state's largest utility with 155,000 customers, reported only about a dozen temporary outages affecting less than 500 households.
"The majority of our outages have been pole accidents involving plow trucks," CVPS spokeswoman Christine Rivers said.
The electric company said it was helped by the fact the snow was dry and light instead of wet and heavy.
"We had our people prepared for this, but we dodged a bullet," Rivers said. "We're very lucky."
The storm also means twice the bills on Friday.
Paul Clifford, Rutland City Police Works Department commissioner, said he is asking city residents and motorists to remain patient as crews work to clear roads and sidewalks.
"Our objective was to keep main roads open and we did that, and as the storm winded down we got to the secondary streets and neighborhoods and cleared them open," Clifford said Thursday morning.
He said through the Thursday morning he tried to allow several members of the road crew to go home and get some rest and prepare for the work ahead.
"Coming in (Thursday) night, and I suspect for the next three or four days, we're going to be picking this snow up," Clifford said. "Also, we're going to start clearing the sidewalks the best we can ... We're going to concentrate on those."
In addition, he said, road crews will work on cutting down the size snow banks at busy intersections.
"There's going to be a lot of clean up, there's going to be three or four days at least and I hope people are patient," he said. "There's no way we're going to have all the sidewalks ready by (Friday), maybe by Sunday."
Motorists are asked to stay off all roads until late-morning tomorrow to allow Agency of Transportation and municipal crews to clear roadways.
"This storm has dumped more than 2 feet of snow on many parts of the state, and that snow is blowing around creating deep snowdrifts and whiteouts on roads. As a result, we are extending the emergency travel advisory that calls on Vermonters stay off all roads until late in the morning on Thursday," said Public Safety Commissioner Kerry Sleeper.
"The safest place for Vermonters to be in the morning will be their homes. Having cars off the roads will also help road crews' clear roads more efficiently," Sleeper said.
Postal service
The U.S. Postal Service says "neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night" will stop its carriers, but Wednesday's closure of Vermont highways to tractor-trailer trucks meant local post offices had little or no mail to work with Thursday.
In Vermont, most mail is funneled through a processing and distribution center in White River Junction. But the Vermont Emergency Management's decision to bar tractor-trailers from the state's major highways overnight during Valentine's Day blizzard stopped most mail from reaching post offices.
"There's really no mail in the system for us to sort and deliver," Rutland City Postmaster Sal Vitagliano said Thursday morning.
The White River Junction postal center was operating Thursday morning and local post offices hoped to receive mail as the day progressed.
"Friday we expect to have full delivery," Vitagliano said.
Snowmobiler found
In Woodford, a snowmobile rider from Massachusetts who had gone missing Wednesday walked out of the woods on Thursday morning just as rescue workers planned to renew their search.
Neil Jensen, 41, of Egremont, was riding with three friends on a Vermont Association of Snow Travelers snowmobile trail in Woodford around 11:30 a.m. when he got separated from the others.
Jensen told police that after he left the trail he became stuck in heavy snow. On foot, Jensen tried to find his friends but after being unsuccessful, he returned to his 2004 blue Yamaha SXU snowmobile.
Jensen spent the night in the woods, starting his snowmobile periodically to stay warm, he told police
After the sun came up, Jensen was able to find his way out of the woods and returned to the motel where he was staying on Route 9.
Police said Jensen appeared to be healthy but he was taken to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington to be examined for any ill effects due to exposure to the cold weather.
Capt. David Covell of the Vermont State Police said Jensen was complaining of numbness to his toes but was expected to be treated and released from the hospital.
On Wednesday, Jensen's three friends called police after they spent an unsuccessful hour searching for him.
Rescue workers who searched for Jensen included Vermont State Police troopers from the Shaftsbury barracks, Fish and Wildlife game wardens and members of the Southern Vermont Snowmobile Task.
Heavy snows and poor visibility forced an end to the search until Thursday morning but Jensen walked back to the main road around 7:45 a.m., just as efforts were scheduled to resume.
"One thing I would like to emphasize with the recent snow since we expect to have more people skiing and using the snowmobile trails. We would just like to remind people to stay on the designated trails, dress appropriately and be prepared for the elements," Covell said.
Economic effects
The storm was a mixed economic blessing.
The state's ski areas got a huge boost just in time for the Presidents Week holiday - the last holiday of what has been a disappointing season. Ski industry officials say the abundance of snow not only guarantees a successful holiday but will also help resorts into March and April as the season winds down.
As more skiers head to the slopes, ski-dependent businesses including restaurants, inns and shops will benefit as well.
But there was a downside to the blizzard as businesses of all kinds closed early Wednesday and opened later on Thursday.
Wednesday's storm was a disaster for many restaurants that expected to do a booming business on Valentine's Day.
"We lost one of the biggest days of the year," said Dimitrios Ieremias, owner and executive chef of the Fair Haven Inn.
While some guests will simply put off their Valentine's Day dinners for another day, Ieremias was resigned to the fact he's unlikely to recoup all his losses. "We cannot fight Mother Nature," he said.
State economist Jeffrey Carr said the impact of a storm like the one that hit the state this week is hard to gauge. In addition to the ski areas, Carr said the weather was good news for those in the business of plowing snow for a living but not so good for offices and other businesses forced to close.
Carr said a storm of that magnitude is something the state takes in stride.
"Winter is a fact of life here," said Carr, a partner in Policy and Economic Resources in Williston.
For the ski industry, Carr said what's more important is that the storm also blanketed New York and other areas where the state draws many of its skiers.
The storm meant lost business for the Diamond Run Mall and its 52 stores. The mall closed early Wednesday and didn't reopen until noon Thursday, said mall manager Chris Thayer.
"There definitely were losses yesterday (Wednesday) and a big storm like that is going to do that to you," Thayer said.
To the best of his knowledge, Thayer said the last time there was storm-related closing was 1998.
Business was also scarce for downtown merchants.
Tattersall's Clothing Emporium on Merchants Row saw one customer Wednesday before closing at 2:30 p.m., said manager Jen Pattillo. The store reopened at noon Thursday, two hours later than normal.
Even the popular Sandwich Shoppe on Merchants Row closed at 3 p.m., an hour earlier than its usual 4 p.m. closing.
Other news
In other weather-related news:
"First of the week, we've got someone coming to take care of it for us," he said. "We'll get it all cleaned up and rebuild in the spring, probably."
Thursday's Herald should be available in Rutland region stores and vending machines by 3 p.m. and selected southern Vermont locations by 5 p.m.
Some carriers will make home deliveries on Thursday; the rest will be distributed with Friday's paper.
Also, subscribers are welcome to pick up Thursday's paper at the Herald circulation office until 5 p.m.
Pittsfield News distributors didn't receive any Boston or New York newspapers Thursday, so it had nothing to deliver to stores in Rutland County and parts of Bennington and Windham counties. The company anticipated out-of-town newspapers would be back on local shelves Friday.
Southern Vermont
Southern Vermont seemed to have weathered the Valentine's Day Blizzard well, though blowing and drifting snow on Thursday caused some concerns.
"The guys have been up all night," said Vicki Lucius, office manager for Springfield's town garage. "They may get a break today and go home at 3:30. We might have to call them back depending on how bad the drifting snow gets, but it's mostly been going into open areas."
As of 3 p.m. in Springfield, the main roads and side streets were open and traffic moving smoothly.
The town of Brattleboro issued a statement reminding residents that the snow emergency parking ban remained in effect. This means that cars have to be either off the street or in the downtown parking garage overnight, to be removed by 8 a.m. Friday. After 9 a.m., parking is subject to the pay and display rules in the transportation center.
In Windsor County, VTrans District 4 manager Tammy Ellis said all 500 miles of the county's roads were open. This includes Interstates 89 and 91, U.S. Routes 4 and 5, and Vermont State Routes 10, 12, 14, 44, 66, 73, 100, 103, 106, and 110.
"It went very well," she said. "We got lots of positive feedback, but the crews are drained. They were out all night. But there were no serious accidents or obstructions."
New Hampshire Southwestern Mutual Aid, which also handles dispatch chores for Windham County, said motorists had gotten the message and stayed off the roads.
"It's been pretty quiet," said a dispatcher. "We didn't do a whole lot yesterday, and we haven't done much today. There was a house fire in Winhall, but that's been it."
Dispatchers at the Bennington Police Department said they had not had any accidents reported at all on Thursday and at the Vermont State Police barracks in Shaftsbury, there were only minor fender-benders or reports of cars sliding off the road.
Kevin Robinson, spokesman for the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, said doctors in the hospital's emergency room reported they were a little busier than they would be on an average Thursday. However, the traffic seemed to be related more to people being able to get out of the house on Thursday.
Robinson said the hospital had not seen any unusual incidence of storm related injuries which are typically exposure or exertion from shoveling snow.
"(The doctors) did say it was very, very quiet during the storm on Wednesday," he said.
Manchester Town Manager John O'Keefe said the roads in town were in very good shape on Thursday afternoon.
Wrapping up the town's efforts was David Sheldon, water and sewer superintendent, who was driving Manchester's sidewalk snow plow. During a less intense storm, Sheldon would have been operating the plow on Wednesday but because of the intensity of the blizzard, he was instead drafted to drive a snow plow on town roads.
Reporters Alan J. Keays, Patrick McArdle, Sarah Hinckley, Gordon Dritschilo, Louis Porter and Kevin O'Connor contributed to this report.