mineral oil primitive describes snow emergency in Minnesota

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024414699

Oh my.

MineralMan (60,757 posts)    Thu Jan 30, 2014, 12:13 PM

Snow Emergency in Minnesota! Oh, well...

It's snowing this morning. It's cold. The morning commute in the Twin Cities was a disaster, with a normal 15 minute commute taking a couple of hours for some folks. Cars in the ditch everywhere. St. Paul and Minneapolis have already declared snow emergencies.
 
At Noon, it's going to stop snowing here. And crews throughout the Twin Cities will be out plowing, sanding, salting, and clearing away the 4-6" that fell. People at home will be out shoveling, running their snowblowers, and clearing away the accumulation, often for their neighbors' homes as well.
 
By the evening commute, the main roads will be clear, and commute times will return to close to normal again.
 
It's Minnesota. We're used to snow and cold here, and our cities and state have equipment and supplies ready to get thing back to normal today. Overnight, all the main streets will be well-plowed, and tomorrow, they'll plow the rest of the side streets and the emergency will be over.
 
Lots of people have been laughing at places like Atlanta, but they're wrong to do that. Atlanta doesn't usually have snow storms, so there's no reason for that city and other cities in the Southern states to have all that equipment to deal with it. They have a real emergency. Here in the Twin Cities, they call it a snow emergency, but we're ready for it, and will clear it away as we always do. It's not really an emergency. It's just Winter. We have that here, year after year. It's inconvenient, to be sure, but we'll clear it away and get back to our normal routines - until the next snowstorm, anyhow.
 
I feel bad for those living in places where snow is a real emergency: places where they aren't prepared for it and really have no reason to be prepared for it.
 
Here in Minnesota, it's just how we live. It snows here. Now, I've got to go out, fire up the snowblower and clear my driveway, along with the sidewalks in front of four houses. I'll be back on DU in an hour or two. No problem.

TexasProgresive (4,072 posts)    Thu Jan 30, 2014, 12:26 PM

1. And even in Minnesota there are cars in the ditches

I don't know why people rag on others because as you say, they are not equipped for the odd winter event.

MineralMan (60,757 posts)    Thu Jan 30, 2014, 12:29 PM

3. Sure. We have drivers here in MN who don't believe in slowing down. Our ditches, though, are shallow and gentle, so going into the ditch isn't usually a huge deal, at least on the main highways.
 
We did have a car fire early this morning, though, when a car skidded into a guard rail. One person injured, but not life-threatening, according to the reports.
 
It's a mess, sometimes, but a short-lived mess.

Blue_Adept (152 posts)    Thu Jan 30, 2014, 12:31 PM

4. How long will it not be normal?

It's time to start taking more preventative measures and to be prepared for such things happening more often. I agree, no need to belittle in the slightest considering the hardship many suffered through. But after it happened in '11 and now again, I'd rather see more preparedness set into place for the future.

MineralMan (60,757 posts)    Thu Jan 30, 2014, 12:34 PM

6. I don't know. For now, though, it's not normal there.

pnwmom (49,974 posts)    Thu Jan 30, 2014, 12:32 PM

5. Thank you. You are right -- there is no reason for cities with climates that rarely have snowstorms to make the investment in snow removal equipment that a city in Minnesota does.

liberalmuse (15,653 posts)    Thu Jan 30, 2014, 01:01 PM

8. Thank you

I live in the Seattle area and feel for Atlanta right now. Why would a place that rarely gets snow invest millions each year on snow removal equipment the won't need 99%of the time?
 
Yeah, guess I'm really tired of seeing the taunts online, especially here. This is the type of post I expect to see on DU.

Phentex (9,165 posts)    Thu Jan 30, 2014, 01:10 PM

9. I didn't see your thread when I posted my OP...

but a huge difference is the way St Paul and Minneapolis declared the emergency in a timely matter and encouraged people to get off the roads. You talked about snow plows yesterday but if you think about it, that was not the problem in Atlanta. People needed to stay off the roads before they turned to ice.
 
Btw, the mayor spent 2.5 million on equipment since 2011 and people griped about it.