At the risk of upsetting old-timers with clear memories of sky-high snow banks, it must be said that snowstorms now are so much stronger than ever before.
These days, in fact, snowstorms are so powerful they can paralyze an entire region hours before the first flake, and maintain that hold well after the skies have cleared.
This opinion is no doubt shared by anyone who had planned to spend last Wednesday night at any kind of meeting or community event. Or to most folks who were going to use the night to go to the gym, get some shopping done, or grab a bite to eat.
Of course, some business owners were heartier than others, and many of the small markets that serve our communities stayed open, and they should be commended. But for the most part on that mid-winter’s night, people in southern Maine looking to spend a buck were left out in the cold – all because of a storm that had given its worst by lunch, and was all but over by mid-afternoon.
It’s hard to know who to blame, the forecasters for overestimating the severity of the storm, or the rest of us for shutting down so quickly in a state where snow is just part of the bargain. The television scroll showed dozens of cancellations, in both the public and private sectors, before dinnertime on Tuesday. By Wednesday, there were so many closings and cancellations that it made no sense to go out at all, even as the storm gave way to a clear and calm afternoon.
Schools can hardly be faulted for taking the day off. Getting busloads of young children to class on time is not an easy task on the best of days, and there is no need to take risks on the icy roads when snow days are built into the schedule. Student safety has to come first.
But for everybody else, snow should in most cases be no more than an inconvenience. It should take more than just the hint of a storm, even dressed up as it is in the alarmism of the nightly forecast, to keep Mainers from going about their business. The economy is slowly improving, but commerce can hardly stand too many days off.
Besides, it’s Maine. Residents should take pride in their ability to brush off 6 or 7 inches of snow as “just a few flakes,” while heading out on the road, slow and cautious but not deterred. Certainly there are times to load up on the essentials and hunker down at home for the day. But let’s save that for the real storms.
Ben Bragdon is the managing editor of Current Publishing. He can be reached at bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com or followed on Twitter at twitter.com/benbragdon.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
