well, we survived it. no reports of mass panic or wide-reaching power outages...roads are crap and shoveling is a lesson in perseverance to say the least. (builds character!)

i made an igloo and slept in it for a few hours.
3 tealights, a foam mat, a thermos of coffee and a 0 degree bag made it a suprisingly pleasant experience. i kept waking up though, feeling claustrophobic because of all the layers and the mummy bag...but man, was i cozy! ive no doubt i could pull off a snow shelter and survive in it, should i have to...


unfortunately, another beast is knocking at the gate. the storm slotted to hit us sometime tomorrow evening has the potential for 20"+ snow and blizzard-like wind gusts. word is that it is neigh-impossible to effectively navigate Baltimore City, as they've plowed streets in @the cross-streets and are trucking out the snow at their leisure. i believe DC is in a similar situation, with above-ground Metro being all but stopped.

as far as emergencies go, this could paralyze the baltimore/dc metro areas, as there is already 20-some-odd-inches of snowpack on the ground already...there is nowhere to put the incoming stuff.

nevermind the fact that roofs collapsing, trees falling, water mains breaking, roads impassable and power outages are almost guaranteed - this could prove to be a very real issue and test the limits of people's endurance and civility.

ugh.


...then it melts, and it floods.