The Blizzard of ’96 Turned Me Into a Food Hoarder
Recently, a Facebook friend of mine posted a throwback picture of DC during the Blizzard of 1996. It was an image of a deserted street covered in several feet of snow. Cars were buried in snow up and down the street. Some were even left abandoned in the middle of the road. Unable to maneuver in the mounds of fresh snow that had blanketed the entire region. A few people were even attempting to walk in the middle of the street, going to destinations unknown.
The photo triggered so many emotions in me from that brief moment in time. I was immediately flooded with memories of how I spent that week by myself. The storm forever changed my life. But before I dive into how the storm turned me into a food hoarder, let me give you some background information about the Blizzard.
A Quick History Lesson
For those of you who don’t remember or were not affected by the Blizzard of ’96, let me give you a little history lesson about this massive snowstorm. It happened during the first week of January (the 6th — 8th, to be more precise). In DC, the weather forecasters predicted that it would snow the following week during the daily news. They gave us the probable amounts of snow that we should expect in the upcoming days. Unfortunately (and as usual), they grossly underestimated the size and impact of the storm.
As it turned out, the storm was much worse than they had predicted. It was the mother of all blizzards. It was a nor’easter. So, instead of getting less than a foot of snow as initially expected, we were hit with over two feet of snow in less than three days.
The Blizzard took everyone by surprise. The entire northeastern region of the country, from Rhode Island to Virginia, was caught off guard. Life came to a screeching halt as we watched the snow pile up before our eyes. Its impact completely crippled the DC area because we usually don’t get large amounts of snow. Therefore, we did not have the resources available to shovel ourselves out of the mess. We were all snowed in and stranded in our homes for over a week with no hope in sight.
Just to give you some extra perspective, this storm was so bad and impactful that it had gone down in the history books. Historians have given it unique nicknames. There have also been numerous news reports, documentaries, and articles written about it over the years. It even has its own Wikipedia page describing its history and its impact on the east coast.
Now that you know more about the great Blizzard of ’96 let’s talk about how it impacted my way of life.
How The Storm Affected Me
Like everybody else, I saw the weather reports on the upcoming snow. Since the initial forecast seemed pretty mild, I thought that I had some time to prepare. I didn’t hit the store with the first wave of doomsday preppers. If you didn’t know, people usually rush the stores like vultures at the mere thought of snow in the DC area. It’s because we aren’t used to snow, and we live in fear of being stuck in the house with no way to get to the store.
Those people who could get to the store before the first snowflake hit the ground were fortunate. I, on the other hand, was utterly screwed. My heart started to fill with dread as the snow kept falling with no end in sight. After two days, it began to ease up, but then an entirely new reality set in. Reports were coming in about how the entire area was shut down. Nobody could give any definitive answers about how long it would take to clear the streets. Needless to say, I was housebound the entire week along with the rest of the people in the city.
I immediately took stock of what I had in the kitchen, which wasn’t much. I had a box of cereal, a few cans of soup, crackers, a pack of dehydrated milk, and a pack of powdered eggs. I may have had a few other odds and ends, but not enough to make a complete meal. It was a pitiful state of affairs. I had to figure out how I would manage the rest of the week until the streets were cleared.
By the grace of God, I managed to survive on my meager rations the entire week. As soon as the streets were clear enough, I made a beeline to the store, which was no easy feat. The store was like a ghost town because most people were still struggling to find a clear path out of their homes. Many of the shelves and refrigerators were empty because they had not received any new shipments due to the storm.
None of that mattered to me. From my point of view, the grocery store was the mythical Shangri-La. An oasis in the desert. A vision of beauty. I was so delighted to see so much food that I almost cried tears of joy. I walked down each and every aisle gathering up as much food as possible to fit into my cart. I then gladly paid the cashier and headed home with a trunk full of groceries.
After restocking my kitchen with my fresh bounty, I vowed NEVER to allow my kitchen to go empty again. The Blizzard of ’96 had utterly rocked my world and changed my point of view when it came to my kitchen needs and set up. Apparently, I was emotionally scarred and traumatized by the event on some deeper level. It subconsciously affected my relationship with food.
From that moment on, I have made it my mission to hit the grocery store faithfully once a week. WITHOUT FAIL! Additionally, my refrigerator, cabinets, and pantry stay stocked with the basics no matter what. Never again would I be without food during a blizzard or any other crisis, for that matter.
Unfortunately, this mindset has caused me to go a bit overboard — buying multiples of items that I clearly don’t need. Although I am a pretty organized person, sometimes my kitchen is a bit overstuffed. Somehow, I had turned into some weird food hoarder that needed to be stopped.
Fortunately, over time, I have mellowed a bit when it comes to my grocery needs. I’ve tried to scale back for the sake of space in my kitchen. Plus, I’m not too fond of food going to waste. Therefore, I’ve learned what essential foods to always keep in stock without overbuying and spending at the grocery store. Thank goodness!
Finally, I can honestly say that the Blizzard of ’96 was not a pleasant experience for me and many others. However, there is one good thing that came from surviving the Blizzard. It taught me always to be prepared and don’t wait till the last minute whenever possible.
