 |
|
All week meteorologists had talked about
the storm. Virtually everyone in D.C. watched the weather
charts tracking the storm as it swept up from the Gulf.
Friday projections were for up to 6 inches. |
| The Storm |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
By Saturday, forecasters were saying this could be the
"Storm of the Century" despite the fact that we
had just had the "Storm of the Century" in 1993.
We like hyperbola, and there is something irresistible
about a good blizzard. |
| Lauren at Noon |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Saturday night most of us stayed home. It was going to
snow and everyone knows that even the smell of snow
brings D.C. traffic to a crawl with a fend-bender at
every corner. We alternated between watching Bob Ryan's
weather on TV and watching out the window for the first
flakes. We were pretty excited. |
| Snowbound |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
For many Laurenites, Monday was
another question. Federal workers, furloughed since Congress closed the government
a month earlier, were scheduled to return to work on
Monday. Monday was
the big day! Wouldn't it be ironic if... |
| The Tree |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
For the next two days, all roads were less traveled. They were closed
and we stayed home. It
snowed Saturday night and all day Sunday
and most of Monday. |
| A Workaholic |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
When the storm ended, 17.1 inches of snow were sitting
on 20th Street in front of the Lauren, the federal
government was closed, Metro was closed, the airports
were closed, and most of us were saying 'enough.' |
| The Skier |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Even before the last snow flakes landed, tired of TV
and our own home cooking, the more adventuresome of us
bundled up and headed for the
streets. It was mostly fresh air and novelty. |
| One-Way |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
CVS was open but little else was. Georgio's was closed,
the Kozy Korner was closed and
stayed closed for the next week. The streets were closed
and sidewalks were closed. There was no where to go and
nothing to do, but we went out anyway. |
| The Light |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
And when we went out we found that Cacho and Sergio
and Salvador were ahead of us. They had already shoveled
and salted the Lauren entrance and sidewalk. |
| Dupont Park |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
News reports on Monday evening said plows were
starting to clear the main
arteries through the city. It was Wednesday
however before the first plow found 20th Street. Side streets
remained impassable for days more. Metro slowly came back
to life. A few stores began to re-open with skeleton
staff. |
| Quiet Afternoon |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
On Thursday, the federal government opened for the first time
since Congress closed it December 15 and we tried to go
back to work. |
| Back To Work |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
But the end was not here quite yet. On Friday the 12th
another storm arrived bringing four more inches of snow
capped with sleet and frozen rain, and government workers
were furloughed once more. It was another week before
transportation was back to near normal. |
| Snow Fall Map |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
During this entire time, while most of us who live or
work at the Lauren
stayed home, the staff found a way to get to work. Some
did double duty. Some came in on their days off. One desk
person walked every evening and morning from upper 14th
Street through unplowed streets and unclear sidewalks.
Someone was always on duty at the desk. Cacho slept here. |
| Record Snowfalls |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Toward the end of the second storm, someone rephrased
Kathleen Morris' famous line saying, "There seems to
be so much more snow
than we need this year." |
|
|
|
