Snowzilla by Matt McGraw

Snowzilla

BY: Matt mcgraw

Snowzilla Copyright ÂŠ 2016 Matt McGraw All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or in any means - by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior written permission by the owner, Matt McGraw.

Snowzilla

For those who ventured into the cold.

fOrWARd After a record settingly warm winter season, Philadelphians had grown accustomed to going out in nothing more than a light sweater and jeans. “What a pushover this winter is,” they said. Little did they know that winter had plans to make them eat these words as, off the East Coast, a wild winter storm named Jonas was brewing out in the Atlantic Ocean. It began late at night on Friday, January 22. The first flakes began to fall and in the morning, those in the City of Brotherly Love, who were previously accustomed to average temperatures in the 50s and 60s, awoke to over 10 inches of the white stuff, with plenty more on the way. Over the course of only two days, Jonas, nicknamed Snowzilla by forecasters and social media, dropped 22.4 inches of snow on Philadelphia and was pronounced to be the fourth largest blizzard in the city’s history. For an entire weekend it nearly brought the city to a complete standstill. This book documents the Blizzard of 2016 through the eyes of those who experienced it, with each section showing the first night, the following day, and the aftermath to follow. Hopefully, we won’t have to deal with another “Snowzilla” for the rest of the winter at least, but you never know when a giant winter behemoth will decide to rise from the sea to wreak havoc on our city.

Contents DAY 1: friday

DAY 2: sATURDAY

aFTERmath

Day 1: friday

At 7 p.m. Friday, January 22, The first flakes of Winter Storm Jonas fell from the sky over Philadelphia. Within hours, the city that hadn’t seen snow the entire winter up until that point was covered in a blanket of white. Those that were caught out in the sudden Nor’eastern hustled to get home. People such as Officer Tyrell Campbell, made sure that they got there alright. Police and rescue workers were out in force as the blizzard rolled in, knowing just how bad the storm could become. “I put my music in and it’s not so bad,” said Campbell with a grin when asked how he feelt about having to patrol the streets in the midst of the snowfall. He tells passersby to stay warm as he does his rounds up and down Broad Street, looking for anyone in need of assistance. Others were not quite as cheerful, as they hurried through the snow in order to get home before Snowzilla unleashed the worst it had to offer.

Pedestrians out in the storm did what they could to shield themselves from the chilling winds and the heavily falling snow as they made their way to where they were going.

By 11 p.m. on Friday, the snow really started to come down and gusts of wind caused the snow to fly all over the place on Broad Street.

By 12 a.m. on Saurday, there were already a couple inches covering North Philadelphia, and the snow brought with it a dead calm.

Day 2: Saturday

On the morning of Saturday, January 23, the city had already recieved more than 10 inches worth of snow from Winter Storm Jonas, and with no signs of it slowing down, weather forcasts predicted that it would continue until early Sunday morning. The city was in chaos. Plows desperately tried to keep major streets clear, while emergency and rescue workers, along with those foolhardy enough to venture out into the blizzard, made their way slowly through the snow. Some, like North Philadelphia resident “L,” (left) get their cars trapped and become stranded themselves. Luckily, after repeated attempts to push the car out using manpower, L’s friend “Country” (right) had the idea to push the vehicle out using his own truck, which worked like a charm. While L and his family made it out of the snow, they were only one of countless families to get stuck either inside or out due to the blizzard.

Whether in Center City or on North Broad, snow covered everything, and plows attempted to clear as much as possible.

Many Philadelphians were unable to use their cars as the already snow-filled roads only worsened due to the continued snowfall Saturday. Still needing to get around, many were forced to find alternative methods of travel. Some used the SEPTA Broad Street and Market-Frankord subway lines to get around, while others use alternative methods including all-terrain buggies, snowshoes, and even SNOWMOBILES.

At Temple University, ground crews kept the snow as clear as they could despite the constantly falling snow, and the campus was certainly a lot less covered than much of the rest of the city. Students wandered outside and played in the snow. While most other services were shutdown in the wake of the storm, Temple University Police were still up and running, and will remain so regardless of Temple closures due to Jonas.

As the sun sets on Saturday, huge mounds of snow were everywhere on the streets and sidewalks. Over 16 inches had accumulated so far.

While many emergency workers were able to successfully rescue stuck vehicles from snow, Philadelphia Fire Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ladder 23 firetruck became stuck itself for four and a half hours at 13th and Master Streets. After four hours, a backhoe was brought in and the truck was eventually freed.

aftermath

Immediatly after the storm was over on Sunday morning, the city was left with 22.4 inches of snow to remember it by. Everything was still slowed down considerably, but overall, Philadelphiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fourth largest winter storm on record was only a major problem for a weekend. By the following Wednesday, January 26, a few days of snow removal and warmer temperatures mixed with a little rain took care of the bulk of the white stuff left on the streets and sidewalks. Fields and outdoor ares such as Norris Park in Kensington however still had enough snow to play in, and people were taking full advantage of it. Kenneth McFaddin (center) and his two children Kenysha, 5, and Logan, 1, were happy to be able to go trudge through the snow, through a few snowballs, and most importantly, build a snowman.

“Look! I built a zombie snowman,” Kenysha McFaddin exclaims as she shoves yet another stick into the snowman to represent its many arms. Her younger brother Logan waddles over to her to see what she’s up to and contribute a stick of his own into the undead popsicle.

As the snow melts in Kensington, it does so across the city, making everything more accessible as it slowly dissipates.

The playground at Norris Park is deserted for now, but as the weather heats up and the snow receeds, the sounds of laughter and squeaking metal will be heard once again.

FIN