Panicked Shoppers Fight Over Food Amid ‘Snowpocalypse’

reply to post by TheConstruKctionofLight


Yeah, it's really called Pax.

www.weather.com...

en.wikipedia.org...

Have to admit that it's a bit of a doublespeak for sure. Before that it was Orion, Nika, and Maximus. It was the apparent brain child of the Weather Channel to do this and kids from Bozeman, Montana came up with the names. Here's the full list:

blog.allstate.com...

I heard something funny today, the local news media said don't even go outside. You could fall and break your bones. Emergency crews might take a whole lot longer to get to you. I was thinking they must think we are all babies or idiots saying that. I guess they say that to reduce the number of idiots or 80 somethings from taking a stroll and ending up in the ER.

Where you live, you have to make plans for any sort of common natural events. That means that where you live, you look at the occurrences in nature that happens. So living in some parts of the country, they get snow, so they are prepared to deal with snow and all that goes along with it. The houses and vehicles are chosen to deal with such. If you live on the West coast, wild fires and earthquakes are something you have to be prepared for. The Gulf States have a history of and are prepared for hurricanes. The middle of the country deals with tornadoes, on a yearly basis.

It is the out of the ordinary occurrence of nature that catches people off guard, and this is not surprising, that people in Georgia are suffering. How often do they get the ice storms and snow? Not that often, and when it occurs it is shocking to them, often frightening as well. Instead of looking and shaking our heads, we should be so understanding of their situation, as they not have dealt with such before, or often. They are totally unaware of the dangers or the hazards associated with such and they are going to panic and do things like clear the shelves at the stores.

We can only hope that they weather the storm and get through it, a bit wiser and better prepared for the next storm that comes through. And from all accounts, this time around the people there were better prepared for the storm, taking some precautions a few days to hours before the worse of it.

CNN just said it only takes one quarter of an inch of ice to bring down power lines.
That's some serious infrastructure problems.
Power lines should be built stronger than that.
How do they even survive a strong wind?

reply to post by snowspirit


be afraid be very afraid....

on the other hand ..." built by the lowest bidder construction Co" like in the quebec Ice strorm

reply to post by Danbones


I guess that's why the CNN weatherman said power could be out for weeks.
It sounds like a complete rebuild is due.

snowspirit
CNN just said it only takes one quarter of an inch of ice to bring down power lines.
That's some serious infrastructure problems.
Power lines should be built stronger than that.
How do they even survive a strong wind?

Are you really comparing wind to ice on the impact it will have on something?

snowspirit
CNN just said it only takes one quarter of an inch of ice to bring down power lines.

And CNN is wondering why they are at the bottom of the rating chart.

Power lines are flexible and can take a hell of a lot more ice than that. Of course, when the wind is blowing, that plays a factor as well.

I've seen trees take out poles before and the power wasn't interrupted. At least not until the utility crews came by to put in a new pole. (BTW, that was way out in the sticks)

reply to post by opethPA


No, just that a quarter inch isn't very much. An inch or so would definately be heavy. I would have thought that American power lines would be built stronger, because from the weather I see reported on the news, it gets windy there. Way windier than Canada. And wind will move power lines.

TDawgRex

bobs_uruncle
so what the hell has happened in the last 10 years? Did everyone just get stoopid?

Cheers - Dave

Have to say it. Because, ya know? I'm "That guy."

Yes they are.

People are actually pulling guns on plow drivers doing their jobs because you know that those plow drivers just loves to close off driveways. Thankfully, no one has been killed yet because of such stupidity.

I feel your pain there, bloody plow drivers, but more the retard that writes the policy, just don't give a crap. The next door neighbour to the north and I have 100 feet of frontage on the road, so 170 feet roughly (sans driveways) of snow plowed, a fair amount of which ends up blocking my driveway and the other neighbour whose driveway is attached to mine. Now the driveways are 140 feet long, so imagine how much fun that is. You just get 140 feet by 30 plowed out and then some asswipe with a plow clipping along at 10mph, throws another two feet deep of wet snow that sprays back 6 or 8 feet into the driveways. Yeah, I hate the way they manage the roads, here, there and pretty much everywhere.

But the main point is, you deal with it, you don't go nuts because that guy you go nuts on might be the guy you need in a couple of years when everything goes down the toilet and he might have a good memory. I lived in South Africa for a number of years, no snow. I came back here to this crap weather and I dealt with it, but like I said, I feel your pain.

Cheers - Dave

Oh brother, stay classy Atlanta... the first round you had a good reason to be overwhelmed (it was only two weeks ago) you have no excuse this time.

reply to post by TDawgRex

Power lines are flexible and can take a hell of a lot more ice than that. Of course, when the wind is blowing, that plays a factor as well.

Thats what I thought. I'm used to seeing visible ice on lines, a quarter inch isn't even visible.
There's no way that should bring them down.
Just CNN doing their usual fearmongering.

Zaphod58
reply to post by bobs_uruncle

 

I lived in the South for six years and in TOTAL saw less snow than that. You can't compare it to places that get a lot of snow, because they don't. They tend to get less in two years than other places see in two days.

I know, we are acclimatized to lots of snow, but it's even getting a bit much here, I've seen piles of snow on the side of driveways that were 10 feet high and drifts beside houses that were higher than the facia. I walked out in my backyard yesterday and crunched through the 12" of snow so I could walk on the ice that is sitting on at least another 14" of snow, like WTF? But I hear ya, as an example Vancouver, BC goes absolutely stupid when they get a couple of inches. Just be thankful you don't live in Slovenia, did you see the mess there?!?! It was even worse than the Quebec ice storm a couple of years ago. Things can always be worse.

My wife said that after this winter, when the summer comes she is going to take the time and sit outside everyday, she's never going to bitch and moan about the heat and humidity again. A nice thought, but you know how women are LOL, as soon as the temperature hits 80F or 90%RH I am goin' fishin' and getting the hell outta Dodge (and earshot)!

Cheers - Dave

In far western Kentucky we're just beginning to thaw out after Ma Nature blessed us with ice, then snow, then rain, then ice again and a little dusting of snow to top it all off. The ice build-up was about the same as the '09 IceMare we experienced. Two things were different. This storm didn't have high winds accompanying it and the high winds of the '09 storm did a lot of severe pruning of weak trees.
In addition the folks at the power company have been more vigilant in keeping trees along the right of way trimmed. But according to the engineering people I've talked with, the big difference this time was the lack of wind with the storm.
The '09 IceMare damaged every tree in our yard in some way. The recent storm's deposits of ice and snow lasted much longer than the ice in '09 and yet we had very little serious damage to our trees.
As for people getting out and falling down on ice---yep, the world is full of idiots. A friend who works in the local ER told me they had 83 broken bones show up in the ER the day after the roads were cleared. Most were senior citizens who had no sensible reason to leave their homes. About a third of them broke the bones while trying to clear their driveway/sidewalks! The staff heard this refrain all day: "Well, the roads were clear." Apparently it never occurs to people that clearing ice from a parking lot/sidewalks is far different than clearing ice/snow from busily traveled roadways. They look outside and see snow and their brain simply doesn't register the fact that there is an inch of ice under that snow---so out they go and get introduced to a gravity storm.
A fall in a couple of inches of snow might give you a good shake-up but since snow isn't a solid, your fall will be cushioned to some extent. Ice is a solid. A solid inch of ice on the surface of the ground breaks bones.
So yeah, I agree that some boob on the tube shouldn't have to tell us that it's dangerous to go outdoors in an ice storm, but the sad fact is that a lot of people need those reminders.

I am sitting in Virginia at this very moment, praying that my lights continue to stay on. We have at least 9 inches now and it is continuing to fall fast. It is also not supposed to stop until late this evening (Thursday). This is record breaking for us, and I haven't seen that much snow since I was a baby. 2 inches will usually shut this whole town down. I went out last night to look for some extra lanterns. We had a few, we also keep kerosene and a heater ready year round.... but IT WAS HELL out there. You would have thought that it was the apocalypse. I kid you not. In my tiny town, it looked like they shoved everybody in Chicago into it in minutes.

People were actually running from place to place trying to beat others to whatever item they were trying to get. Forget about the grocery store. I go once a week. I go on Fridays. I AM SO GLAD I did not have to go last night. You would have had to park across the street and walk across to get to it. Where there may be 40 cars in the lot on the first of the month, there were easily 200 cars. I thought it was really "not smart" for folks to be scrambling for food at the last minute when we all knew that the storm was coming for days. I imagine many left empty handed.

I did find my lantern and was happy to get home. It was nuts, and I can't figure out for the life of me WHY people all the sudden NEED bread, milk, and eggs when it is supposed to snow. People will not buy any of these items all together EVER until they call for snow.... THEN BY GOD WE NEED IT RIGHT NOW!

People need to get a grip and keep more than 30 minutes worth of food in their house. They haven't begun to experience real disaster. By the looks of it.... let's hope they never do.

schuyler
How long have people known this storm was coming? I think at least a week. Would it not have been prudent for these people to hop on over to the local Winn-Dixie and buy a couple pounds of hamburger--like last Friday? Nut, nooooooo! Instead we have to enter panic mode. Maybe everyone here ought to go buy some canned beans or something, ya think? There is just no excuse for this kind of behavior. Bunch of grasshoppers!

Geez... I could have just copied your post and saved myself all that typing. Star for you. Grasshoppers indeed.

ketsuko
reply to post by WhiteAlice

 

Plus, TWC has seriously jumped the shark.

Once upon a time, they used to actually do weather, now they do overly indulgent self-promotion and so-called reality TV.

Dear Lord... Can I just agree with this? I don't get TWC anymore but my parents do. I SWEAR by all that is holy that every time I go over there (once a week), they are showing people digging up crystals, gems, rocks, etc. for at least the last 6 weeks. Not one bit of weather to be had on The Weather Channel.... Who would have thunk?

Your in Georgia how much snow could there possibly be?
Southerners....

kimish
Some people aren't used to snow.

I have the 'privelage' of living in the snowiest city in the U.S. so i laugh at stories like this but i have to remember that it doesn't snow everywhere.

Whaat??? Wait!!! Who died & made Erie the snowiest city in the U.S.???
I live in PA too. I thought Buffalo, N.Y. was! Lol!
I do remember going to Erie or Edinboro, when the weather was fine...
until we got to Corry, then boom! It's like the clouds opened up at the city limits!
It was like a whole 'nother climate zone! Lol!

To the people wondering about naming snowstorms,
it's because the 'once in a lifetime' ones are happening every few years now!
If you tell someone about the record breaker in '79,
or the 3 feet of snow in less than 2 days in March of '93, they might remember.
But when they start coming every couple of years,
how else are you going to tell them apart later???

Apparently, people in North Carolina didn't watch the news last week,
because there were pictures of them on the news tonight,
abandoning their cars on the interstate just like they did in Atlanta!!!
I heard them tell people not to drive in all the lanes!
Why didn't they barricade half of them, so emergency vehicles could get through,
if something happened? Duh!

And some lady saying her cupboards were empty, they had no food,
or baby formula! I feel sorry for kids that have idiots for parents!

We people up north always scratch our heads when a hurricane is coming,
& the people down south are running to buy 4x8 sheets of plywood to board up their windows!
What happened to what you had to get for the last hurricane?
That stuff isn't cheap! Don't you save it???

But then I think of all the decorations, lawn furniture, kids toys & stuff,
that we have in our yards & would become airborne missiles if we had hurricanes!
The same with earthquakes! So many shelves with glasses, & high cupboards,
with glass bowls & things in them to come crashing down!

So I guess if you've only ever lived in one place all of your life,
you could get caught by surprise if something out of the 'ordinary' happens!
The FIRST time! It's like that saying...fool me once, shame on you!
Fool me twice...shame on ME!!!
WOQ

Ice, ill preparing and ignorance as how to handle a vehicle in the roads all adding up. Not everyone is a survivalist now days of course, especially in the cities, taking for granted the food availability, despite living in Hurricane alley. Lesson in preparedness food wise also, who'd think it would be now that you'd need to stock up. Being not Hurricane Season. Though, there was time from the first freeze over to prepare. What happened?

It's not just the citizens, Atlanta is said to have the equipment to take care of the roads but has not. Wonder why. These situations are not guaranteed to never happen, now even showing it's head in the south eastern part of the US. Plus the way the economy is going, food prices, etc., gotta get ahead of the game or it's going to be rough.