If you are reading, this odds are high that you survived the almost-Alberta clipper “blizzard” that, we were told, could slam the Washington area big time. It didn’t, but further North things got really rough.

Folks inside-and-just-outside the Beltway did what we always do when any kind of snow is forecast. We raced to the nearest supermarket to replenish our D.C.-Special Survival Kits, which, regardless of age, race, religion or political persuasion, consist of white milk, white bread and toilet paper.

Given what many people in other parts of the country think of Washington, our habit of riding out foul weather with MBTP kits, is not surprising.

In some areas, Uncle Sam (and local schools) shut down or had delayed arrival or unscheduled annual leave in place. Some federal agencies in some locales shut down on their own. For others, it was just another day at work, although many teleworkers did their thing from home.

Many D.C.-area residents who came from other parts of the country say we are all wimps, can’t drive and should stop letting 24/7 news reports scare us until we’re definitely silly. Many locals retort that they’ve seen nightly news footage of multi-car crashes on northern and western highways where people who know how to drive didn’t do so well.

Several snowstorms ago, we heard from feds around the nation who said what they do and how they prep for ice and snow. A U.S. civil servant from Buffalo, N.Y. (where they know something about really cold weather) said folks she knows stock up on beer and condoms when Old Man Winter threatens.

A Montana-based fed said folks in her neck of the woods make sure they have blankets, drinking water and emergency eating items.  She said she prefers Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but just about anything will do.

So, do you have a tip to pass on? How do you and folks in your region prep for ice or snow? Is there something we need to know about, something we need to modify, tweak, abandon or learn?

All entries welcome. Send them to me in my ice cave: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com. 

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID

By Michael O’Connell

H. B. Reese created the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in 1928. A former dairy farmer, Reese worked as a shipping foreman for Milton S. Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He was inspired by his boss to start his own candy business. The peanut butter cup went on to be his most popular confection. In 1963, the H.B. Reese Candy Company merged with Hershey Chocolate Corporation.

Source: Wikipedia

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