Snow days in the South

Snow on a Magnolia (Photo credit: chucka_nc)

My day job office closed down promptly at five yesterday based on the mere threat of snow in the later portion of the evening. I received this announcement at the same time as I heard from my sister located in the northeast that she was leaving her office in white out conditions based on her own assessment of the situation rather than corporate mandate.

A co-worker of mine advised that the local grocery stores had once again devolved into a state of lawless abandon as the hordes descended looking for that last loaf of bread or gallon of milk as if these two items were going to be the currency in the new economy. Many of these people are probably lactose intolerant or still trying for that carb free lifestyle, but that’s a minor detail. There could be an inch of snow on the ground. We must stock up!

Those of you reading this from your homes buried under feet of snow might be laughing at our over reaction, but you need to understand something about snow in the south – we don’t get it often, so its kind of a big deal. A number of years back, a dusting of snow hit the region which melted during the day only to refreeze again just as schools were letting out. The entire city came to a standstill. Kids were forced to sleep overnight in their schools as parents were unable to pick them up and buses couldn’t travel the roads. Of course this is nearly every child’s worst nightmare.

I was one of the lucky ones. It only took me two hours that day to drive two miles on the highway. The entire event made us realize that we as a city really were not prepared for mass evacuations. Zombie Apocalypse? Yeah, we’re in a lot of trouble. You probably should go ahead and write us off.

So today I write this cozy in my home after drinking a nice hot cup of coffee, my milk and bread levels just a fraction lower than they were yesterday. Thanks to the near 70 degree F temps we saw over last weekend, the winter weather we saw last night has kept itself nearly off the streets, and yet the office is on a two hour delay. Maybe there will be pizza there later? (A staple around here for any weather related emergency). It is expected to remain below freezing for the balance of the week, which should keep the grass covered by the little bit of snow we received, but life should return to normal tomorrow.

Yes, you non-southerners might laugh at us for how we react to snow fall, just like the westerners laughed at us for how we reacted to the earthquake a few years back. That’s ok with me. There are somethings I am glad we don’t have to be used to. You are more than welcome to become more acquainted with hurricanes sometime.