Living on the East Coast from October to late April can be not only cold, but deadly. The chill that sets in between these months can cripple people. Last year in 2017 there was a massive winter storm named Stella which dropped several feet of snow onto New York and surrounding areas. It was difficult to find vehicles, and in the hours where Stella first struck many people were told to go home due to the weather emergency outside.
Previous experience from East Coast Storms
I remember Stella, getting a ride back from work from a coworker with a 4x4 truck.
Curling up by the warm heater inside, looking outside the next day and not being able to see my boyfriend's car. Having to then shovel out my boyfriend's car. After several hours and with at least four people helping we had uncovered a maximum of three vehicles in our parking lot including our own. The words ‘it was cold’ is a serious understatement.
And now it's about to happen again.
The entire east coast of the United States is bracing itself for the deadly cold that’s about to lash out. The chill that burns down deep into your chest, the cold that makes your legs twitch from the damage your nerves have sustained. The ‘Bomb Cyclone’ is bringing snow, freezing cold, and dumping it on an already freezing New York State.
Every state on the east coast from Maine to Florida is expected to be impacted, and several states are expecting to get twice as much as their record snowfall, in one night. Not only is the storm going to hit states that normally don’t get snow, but it’s going to worsen snowy states and drop the already freezing temps down further.
Ice, snow, wind, ice, and more are expected to be dumped on the doors of thousands of people.
What can you do?
First of all, hunker down and try to stay warm. Even if you need three layers of clothes, settle into your home and stay warm. You may not be able to get to work the next day, but you’ll be warm. If your power goes out, try to get a generator on and working, or at least attempt to keep the heat on.
Heat is essential during times like this and staying warm and out of the snow is essential. Even during Stella people were stopped and advised to get out of the cold. There was no point to try to keep up with the snowfall. By the time you got to the end of the driveway shoveling, there was already several inches in the driveway where you had started to shovel or snowblow.
If you’re in the lower eastern states don’t panic. Everyone seems to panic in these states when anyone mentions snow. If you hear the word snow don’t run to the store and buy all the things. You are not going to be trapped in your home for days, it’s just cold, and a few inches of snow. As long as you drive slower than normal, and put your hazard lights on you should survive the cold and snow.
Get some rock salt for the ice, apply it on the stairs and driveway, and a snow shovel, to help you clear any unwanted messes. A snow brush may also help, it’ll help you clear off your car if you do feel confident enough to go out. Nothing though, not even marriage should keep you from being safe. So this incoming Bomb cyclone is, in fact, going to stink, but it’s inevitable to deal with and there’s no way to bypass it. Just stay warm, keep safe, and soon enough it’ll be over.
