mmm snow

[Ranpha]

Hrmm... Denver International Airport was an interesting place to be last night.

So interesting that I frantically booked a hotel today and might go for a drink later tonight.

What did I learn?
- What you wish for may not come out in the way you want it to.
- checked in bags are not useful, especially with the cellphone battery charger in them
- Some doofus walked in the snow to go home and it worked.
- Still hate natural disasters
- mmm spa in hotel
- fluffy beds... @_@
- Sometimes you wonder if you could steal the news reporter vans since they seem to travel back and forth easier than any other transit system in the city.

 

[Miya]

I was stranded at the airport on the 21st too .... and I just lived 20min. away. They cancelled my flight right after they closed the damn Highways. I did manage to find someone willing to track through the snow on the 22nd to drive me home (mind you it cost me $40 ...) ... didnt get to pick up my car until Sat. though. Unlike you I roughed it on the good ol aiport floor and chairs .

Once finally getting home ... I never made it out of Denver back to Indiana for the Holidays ... on Christmas Eve a freaking stupid driver was flying through the snow jumped the median and plowed into my boyfriends truck. Luckly neither of us were hurt but I think the driver of the other car was. She went through a median piled at least a half car size of snow, hit the truck on the passenger side (we were able to stop since we were going like 25mph so she just knicked us), then proceeded to fly through the snow piled in on our side and hit a tree. She had to have some speed to get through all that packed snow and our truck.

So in all snow/blizzard weather sucks ass ... dont ever try to travel anywhere being plane or car!

 

[Ranpha]

Actually, I did not write much on the subject because of where I was when I posted the topic. Me and three other students from CSU decided we could trust each other enough (after the night staying together on cardboard boxes on DIA's marble floor) to book a hotel. They were only letting people with a confirmed hotel reservation get on the city buses to a limited area in downtown Denver. We finally got a reservation at the Brown Palace (after most were booked or constantly hanging up on us on purpose) and pushed our way onto the buses (four seats left). They had a snow plow, followed by a police vehicle and then the buses driving to the area. What would normally take 20 minutes took about an hour. None of us were complaining about the price because at that point because the beds were ten times better than the floor and the food was editable (costed more than the airport but one expects that out of an upscale hotel).

Meanwhile, my roommate was on his way home with the car (20th) and it spun out. The car had to be abandoned and he had a night at a Longmont hotel. Then he tried to walk back to our place the next day. Some good Samaritans picked him up and he got there eventually.

The next day the parents of one of the students picked us up and drove us to our houses. I did not even attempt to try to fly out again. Christmas was small with just me and my roommate and all the snacks his aunt sent to him. We plan on having a nice dinner and such for New Year's to make up for it.

The suitcase made it to Florida. lol

As of today, I am still looking for the whereabouts of my vehicle as everyone else is. All rental car areas within me are booked full so we cannot even attempt to look for it if it is still there on the interstate or not. I will probably have to call the insurance company again since they have been finding out better information than myself when trying to call all the numbers (and since trying to look for the car with no car does not work very well). The non-emergency line likes to immediately transfer the call to the Denver impound (which doesn't have the car) and then back to the non-emergency line again.

This whole situation could have been a lot worse than it was. Even without a car, there is a shopping center nearby with a grocery store in it. And it beats going through the aftermath of a hurricane.

Hope everyone who did get stuck did not go through too much of a traumatic time. For me, this has been a holiday not to forget.

 

[Uzor]

; How can snow create so much problem in America?

We get a whole lot of snow in Sweden almost every year, and it never creates any problems for us >.>

 

[Kerowynn]

; How can snow create so much problem in America?

We get a whole lot of snow in Sweden almost every year, and it never creates any problems for us >.>

Because over 25 inches fell in one night, then it was still snowing the next morning? My uncle measured drifts at over 11 feet at his house. >.>

 

[RoM]

; How can snow create so much problem in America?

We get a whole lot of snow in Sweden almost every year, and it never creates any problems for us >.>

Aside from the above it's a problem of geography/population/regional-attitude as well (kinda). I can speak from personal experience around here in TN .. when it rains people forget how to drive entirely. Snow? Stay in friggin doors. Don't even think about the road .. too many hills around here if you're not in a 4X4. 2" and they close schools, it's insane.

That aside most people speed. It's in our nature as a country. Alot of people drive outside their ability and this leads to accidents and the like as posted above. Other than all that yea .. they got dumped on with the quickness. ><

Side note ... i want snow, dammit D: we haven't seen an accumulation worth a damn in at least 2-3 years.

 

[Kerowynn]

Aside from the above it's a problem of geography/population/regional-attitude as well (kinda). I can speak from personal experience around here in TN .. when it rains people forget how to drive entirely. Snow? Stay in friggin doors. Don't even think about the road .. too many hills around here if you're not in a 4X4. 2" and they close schools, it's insane.

That aside most people speed. It's in our nature as a country. Alot of people drive outside their ability and this leads to accidents and the like as posted above. Other than all that yea .. they got dumped on with the quickness. ><

Side note ... i want snow, dammit D: we haven't seen an accumulation worth a damn in at least 2-3 years.

Wow they close your school for 2 inches?? /jealous...They didn't even close the schools here (Chicago) when we got nearly a foot last month. At least, not the schools near me.

I'm from Colorado and I remember going to school there with a foot or so snow on the ground as well. :-/

 

[Uzor]

Hey, in Sweden, we've had 25 inches of snow far north. They're prepared for it though and start cleaning it up soon as it start to snow ~.~ They just look at the weather report, knows it's going to snow, and are prepared to get it out of the way.

We've also had over 1 foot of rain in a single day further south. And while yes, it do create some problems, they get the military and fire department to build temporary walls to keep the water out of houses and roads. They also help with getting the water out.

Dunno, maybe we're just more prepared? =/ Guess it's like japan being prepared for natural dissasters due to it happening a lot. For us it happens pretty much every winter and every summer nowadays.

 

[RoM]

Hey, in Sweden, we've had 25 inches of snow far north. They're prepared for it though and start cleaning it up soon as it start to snow ~.~ They just look at the weather report, knows it's going to snow, and are prepared to get it out of the way.

We've also had over 1 foot of rain in a single day further south. And while yes, it do create some problems, they get the military and fire department to build temporary walls to keep the water out of houses and roads. They also help with getting the water out.

Dunno, maybe we're just more prepared? =/ Guess it's like japan being prepared for natural dissasters due to it happening a lot. For us it happens pretty much every winter and every summer nowadays.

What part of 'unexpectedly snowed 25"' don't you get?

It's not as if they knew it was comnig and sat around with their thumbs up their collective butts

It helps when your country doesn't have anything to do with it's military save civil works

 

[RoM]

Wow they close your school for 2 inches?? /jealous...They didn't even close the schools here (Chicago) when we got nearly a foot last month. At least, not the schools near me.

I'm from Colorado and I remember going to school there with a foot or so snow on the ground as well. :-/

It's just the topography around here. hills/valleys/mountains = East TN. That and like i said we don't get accumulations very often so when it does snow it's a big deal as opposed to chicago or colorado where it's all but expected for winter it's a huge surprise for us unless you're in the higher elevations.

 

[Ranpha]

Considering last year was very dry, this was a shock to most of the residents. The last time this area had a blizzard was 2003. Fort Collins does not get too much snow as it seems. It snows for a day, melts within at least a week. The snow outside my place reaches up to the windows, and in some areas is about as tall as I am.

I got reassured from my brother's girlfriend that Contenential was still going to take off, despite being uneasy leaving the house that morning. The next time it happens, I'm going to stay put.

The US seems to be always under prepared for any disaster (or situation out of the ordinary). Happened with FEMA/local government and all of the hurricanes when I still lived in Florida. It was like some people in Colorado did not expect it to snow that much and we could all get out the day after and drive around. The snowplows are usually ready and most of the roads opened up soon after it stopped. Despite all of this, I am glad it was the state of Colorado handling the situation and not Florida. The majority of businesses in the northern Colorado area are opened today.

We also have this notion not to cancel things until the situation gets really bad (or the i'm stuck now that I came into work in all of this). That's why sometimes people take chances being fired from work to evacuate before the television stations make the announcements to leave. Or those who take the chances of going on ahead and getting stuck in a difficult situation.