The Biggest Snow Storm in over a Decade

Since November, of this year I have been caught in two snow storms, and I am very happy that I was not scheduled for work this weekend when the biggest snow storm in more than a decade hit our state. When the first bad storm came I was at work. After my shift I left work and I had no idea what I was getting into. Had I known the conditions of the roads I would have stayed at work. When the second storm came I was at work again, and after leaving work the commute was not as bad as the first storm but visibility was poor and some parts of the roads were slippery. Well, our biggest storm of the winter started last night and I am very happy to be home.

During the first storm I did not know what to expect from the roads because the co-workers who relieved us only told us to be careful while driving home; therefore, the horrible and treacherous road conditions that greeted me on my commute home was unexpected. The minute I walked through the door of the building in which I work I saw two co-workers literally sliding on ice even though they were not wearing ice-skating shoes and they were certainly not on a ice-skating rink. Those co-workers almost fell but somehow they regained their balance. I was able to walk to my truck without falling and for the next twenty-five minutes I was scraping ice off my truck. Eventually, I was able to see through my windshield and I started the commute home. To my surprise the roads were not plowed and I kept slipping and sliding while driving only about ten miles or less per hour.

While I tried to ascend the first ramp to go on the freeway I had a difficult time keeping my truck on the road. Because the road was covered with sheets of ice my truck kept going off to the sides of the road and at one time it turned around and faced the opposite direction from where I was going. I prayed for safety and kept on trying to steer the truck in the right direction. After what seemed like eternity I was able to get the truck on the freeway. On the freeway, that was not cleaned, I was able to control the truck a little better than on the ramp. However, I had to go unto another freeway and this ramp goes up a high hill and I was concerned  that I may not be able to get my truck up that ramp. When I approached the bottom of the ramp I saw a line of vehicles on the ramp and they did not appear to be moving so I went to the side of the ramp where a small length of shoulder exists and stopped my truck on this shoulder. I wanted to wait to see if the vehicles ahead of me would be able to make it up the ramp before I try to go up there. I waited for more than one hour and nothing was moving until a semi-truck came sliding pass me and jack-knifed on the ramp. My situation now was worse off because I could not go up the ramp and I did not know the area well, so I had no idea of how to get home.

With the only ramp that I know blocked by the semi-truck and no clue of where to exit off the freeway to get home I called my husband to ask him to pray with me for my safety, and for directions on where to go if I continue on the freeway. My husband prayed with me and then gave me direction in good faith on how to get home but I was not comfortable to take this direction because it was night, and I know that the road that my husband told me to exit on would be in worse shape than the unplowed freeway that I was on, so I decided to wait on the shoulder of the road to see if  I could see someone that could give me directions that I was comfortable in following.

About thirty minutes after speaking to my husband I saw a police officer behind me directing traffic. The police officer was signaling to the motorists to continue straight and not to take the ramp with the semi-truck that was jack-knifed. After a while the police officer came up to my window and asked if I needed help and I asked him for directions on how to get home. The police officer gave me directions on how to get to the freeway that would get me home, and the exit was the very next exit from the one that I should have taken. I was so happy to see the police officer and was very grateful that there were police officers out that night risking their lives to protect the lives of the citizens of our state.

With the proper directions on going home I drove slowly on the very slippery roads. I passed many cars parked along the roads and many cars in the ditches. There were times when I felt that I would not have made it home alive that night because my truck kept sliding on the road and twice I hit a guard rail but because I was literally going at a crawling speed the impact or damage to the truck was minor. With God's help and the directions from the police officer I reached home three hours after I left work. On a good day this trip would have taken me about thirty minutes or less.

During the second storm the roads were much better because they were plowed but I had a hard time seeing through the windshield because the snow would blow on the windshield and completely covered it, and when I washed the windshield off it would get all dirty again due to the blowing snow on the freeway. This time I was able to drive at a faster speed yet way below the speed limit. Some parts of the roads were slippery but not as slippery as the first storm. However, I did not like to be in this storm but I was thankful that the conditions of the roads were not as severe as the first storm.

Fortunately, I am home when the biggest snow storm to hit our state in over a decade started last night. I am so grateful to be home and so happy that I do not have to commute in this storm. So far, we have received 16.5 inches of snow and the wind is blowing hard outside and makes visibility very poor. I have prayed for the safety of my co-workers and others who have to go to work in this storm.  I chose not to go to church today because we were warned on every news stations that the snow storm would be severe; consequently, I stayed home but my husband went to church and ended up helping many people who were stuck in the snow and when he came home his truck got stuck in our driveway. After a while he was able to dig his truck out of the snow and was able to park his truck in the driveway.

I wish I could stay home on bad snow days but I know that is not reality unless I work from home and the profession that I am in now does not allow me to work from home. I certainly do not like to drive in snow storms but it is impossible to prevent based on my location; therefore, I have to continue to pray for safety and practice all safety precautions that will help to keep me safe.



So wherever you are right now I pray for your safety and the safety of your love ones. I pray that you and yours will always be protected and live your lives to the fullest. May your God given purpose for your lives become reality!!

Until the next post I leave you with this song,"Through the Storm"

Be Blessed,

Joy