Well, regardless, I don't think people realize that a supermarket full of food depends on a well oiled distribution network. Once disrupted, there really isn't much food there compared to the population it serves.

Just-in-time distribution cuts both ways.

-john

Saw on the news this morning that Washington DC (IIRC) has had 55 inches of snow dumped on it, with more on the way.

Bless your heart Dagny. Hope you and Gidget are having a good time with all that snow. Of course I know the answer to that rhetorical question. The pics speak for themselves.

"Any large retailer that ran dry has a problem somewhere in inventory management or demand forecasting."

That's only two legs of a three-legged problem. The third leg is delivery. If the trucks can't get through, you still have a problem.

Sue

Sorry no pictures-

Well it has been an interesting week-plus around here. Things are beginning to return to normal, although the schools are still closed. Ft. Detrick was closed all of last week except for essential staff (mostly the Facilities Maintenance, Security and Animal Care staff), which allowed me to stay at the fire station for 3 days.

We received 59 inches between the two storms, which paralyzed the area for the better part of the week. They are still plowing some of the roadways in some of the more remote areas. Many were still stuck in their homes through the weekend.

Tuesday night through Wednesday night was the roughest with blizzard condition for most of the time. I cannot list the number of truly stupid individuals who thought it would be fun to ride around; most of who ended up stuck and had to be rescued. Dozens of individuals who for one reason or another had semi-legitimate reasons to be on the roads compounded by the idiots resulted in close to a hundred rescues of stranded motorists, many ended up spending the night and part of the next day in their vehicles. Even large equipment like plows and tow trucks were getting stuck. One of the fire crews in a 4-wheel drive utility who were trying to get to stranded motorists ended up stuck in the snow for 5 hours.

We had at least 1 barn and several buildings collapse, fortunately with no entrapment; our team did not need to provide any shoring or collapse rescues. We had one rescue (in Frederick) via helicopter, which was quite interesting.

MSP Helicopter Rescues

Pete

Update:

The schools finally opened with a 2-hour delay. There was some major drifting of snow over several roads today severely reducing travel until they were re-plowed. Plow crews are finally making headway in some of the developments and some roads are being widened to make travel easier. Snow in the downtown area is being hauled to large parking lots located in some of the parks. Trash pickup has resumed after being down for close to two weeks.

Pete

Down here in the Carolinas we did get some snow/ice. Mainly melted the next day where I am at.

But I am truly amazed at the stupidity of the natives. They tie a rope to a car/truck/4 wheeler/ATV and using improvised materials, go for a sleigh ride. On city streets. Unplowed, but icy messes as traffic has been using them. Improvised = car hoods, cardboard boxes, inner tubes. And then these mental midgets wonder why they get hurt. One lady is dead. Heads and electrical poles/traffic signs don't mix well.

Oh well, Darwin at work.

JBMat, those folks who sled, ski, snowboard, etc behind moving vehicles are job security for us Public Safety personnel. That combined with the idiots who have but don't know how to use four wheel drive and the rest of the knotheads who drive on the Interstate and secondary highways like they would on a warm sunny summer afternoon. Snow in the south is fun, sleet and freezing rain just add to the excitement and the stupidity.

Hey, we need organ donors.

-john

Most of the people in W. WA can't seem to drive in the rain, much less on snow or ice, and most of them have lived here all their lives. Go figure!

Sue

Delivery happens before the storm, and/or deliveries as soon as possible afterward.

Snowstorms have happened before and it's possible to model every aspect of the problem and work out solutions. There is an entire industry of guys like Doug who consult with supply chain managers on "Equipped to Keep Your Job in the event of ___". As one executive put it in our company 20 years ago in a different context "there are no surprises, just things for which you have no plan".

(when Wal-Mart shows up the day after hurricane landfall with a truck convoy of portable generators it's not because someone had a sudden brainstorm - there are contingency plans drawn up months & years before,set in motion many days ahead of time covering the generators, trucks, escort, permission to enter the aftermath area, etc. And if those generators don't get there the day after, someone probably gets to "explain" to the CEO why not)

In this case the two storms were so close that many businesses may have opted to run out of perishables rather than have the risk & expensive of trying to get stuff delivered between storms.

This is just a variation of the supply problem hospitals go through, except that a store can afford to run out off something if the cost of supply or storage is too great.