How Many Remember the Blizzard of 1978
The weather started on Wednesday, January 25th with rain about midnight, then freezing rain turning to snow which froze on windows, side of house driven by fierce winds, then drifting snow. By January 26 Northwestern, Ohio was paralyzed by the blizzard which had dumped seven inches of snow and the 50-60 MPH winds blew the snow into drifts as high as 10 feet and the snow continued through the day. The highways soon became clogged with motorists stuck in the deep drifting snow. Even the snowplows got stuck. The only vehicles able to move were some with 4-wheel drive and snowmobiles. The stranded motorists needed to be evacuated to emergency shelters set up in all the towns in the area. They were unable to plow the snow from the roads and were calling in the Ohio Army National Guard for assistance. Electricity was off for thousands of people. People had to figure out what they could eat. Those without gas stoves used the candle under the coffee warmer to heat food or ate cold sandwiches. Seems you are never prepared. Electricity went out on the 26th and without electricity the furnace didn’t work to keep the house warm. Houses were getting down in the 30s and 40s. Neighbors with alternators were sharing them but hot water heaters didn’t warm the house as fast as forced air furnaces. Then for some people with hot water heat, the pipes froze and broke when they weren’t able to get the temperature up. Many families had to huddle in bed with extra clothing on to keep warm. As one gets colder it becomes harder to function and thinking becomes difficult. Farm families that live far apart didn’t have the neighbors nearby to all band together. Helicopters were used to fly the sick to the hospital. Waterville was cut off from everyone with all roads blocked. If you had a transistor radio or battery radio you used it only to get updates of what was going on. With no electric you hoped the food in the freezer would not perish. They claimed if the freezer was full it would not spoil for 36 hours. For some the back porch was colder than the freezer. People found it was best to close off rooms to keep the heat in one room and some placed blankets in the doorways to keep the heat in one room. Those with fireplaces fared better if they could get their wood in or had wood close by. Those with gas stoves invited neighbors in for a hot meal if the neighbor could make it through the high drifts safely. There were a few that were stranded and tried to walk home only to be found frozen to death. Locally the electricity went out about midmorning Thursday, January 26th and for many was not restored until late Saturday January 28th. To make matters worse the blizzard which dropped up to 15 inches of snow was followed by near zero temperatures. This was a difficult and scary time for people in the Waterville area.
We wonder if any of our readers have memories of this awful blizzard of 1978? Any pictures to share?