Blizzard of '78 Documentary pt2

Part 2 of 2
My Credit: Writer, Director, & Editor

[@csylcox]

I was part of the 92nd Engineer Battalion who took part in clearing the snow in Providence RI. What I remember most was the people were so grateful to see us. There was this guy on a porch swinging a bottle of something around and shouting something in Italian. He ran down to us and shared his wine. It was like that all over. Heck, by the time we got off our shift we were so wasted that all we wanted to do was sleep.

[@Msflamingo-wl4qo]

Thanks for sharing your story! It's really cool to hear how people came together & you helped them as well. It made me happy & lol, too!😄 God bless

[@colinsdad1]

Shout out to my Dad's old Ariens snowblower that made it through MANY blizzards (this one included). It finally died in 2007 when clearing out after a storm. It lasted for EXACTLY 40 years- they definitely don't make stuff like that anymore.

[@billwilson5341]

"Planned obsolescence" Also everything these days is a "system". You can't just buy it and be done. No, you've got to constantly by filters or bags or something to be able to keep using the darned thing.

[@chicosuaveslowend1877]

Airens used to make good stuff we have one like that leaks lotta oil but still runs great

[@colinsdad1]

@@chicosuaveslowend1877 My Dad still has an Ariens blower- the paint is "shedding" because they didn't cure it correctly, but, still shoots snow with gusto!

[@shawnfoxfirth9684]

The Blizzard of '77 was Epic as well , I was 10 growing up in Toronto . The '70s A great time to be a kid.

[@jennylee9278]

That was great snow for snow sculpting. My buddies and I made a snow monster, some students in town made a big dragon. Pretty cool. We were in Kentucky by the way not New England area.

[@slicko69ng]

I grew up in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. I remember the snow storms. The one at 78 was great I got stuck at my buddies house. We had a blast cuz we had some weed

[@davidmellet261]

Love it too from new Jersey made alot of money sholving neighbors out

[@caseysmith544]

My mom said she, then living in Dunkirk NY that her family survived when the power went out and to keep warm in the house, the stove was turned on using a big butane lighter as the heat would not start due to the power being off as most houses used the big radiators in that town and the heat needed the electricity to start it or adjust the temp. That was really bad as the house heat was on but was stuck low at mid 50 F due to the weather day before being in the mid 40's F so the heat was not really on much

[@brianeisenga882]

From Michigan I remember 77 blizzard. We had a farm and milk truck didn't come for 4 days. Had to put 2 days worth down the drain. For us at the time was 15000 pounds.

[@davidmccall8493]

We loved it, homemade ice cream! Neighbors who never spoke were helping each other. What a great time i'll never forget.

[@bobstaurovsky3506]

I spent 72 hours straight snow plowing, then slept for 24 hours, then went back out plowing until everything was cleared. We drank Blackberry Bandy and smoked cigarettes until the cows came home, lol

[@ladydi4runner]

Ah Yes. Blackberry Brandy! Back in the Day. *sigh*😉😇😀👍😁

[@qontoh2s872]

I was ten, living in Boston. My Grandma knew there was a Nor Easter coming, said she could feel it in her bones. She showed up when the snow was about ankle deep with six bags of groceries. Fed our family of five and a neighbors family for three days, everybody pitched in. For parents it was misery, for the kids? Two weeks of no school and snow deeper than we were tall!

[@fandoria09]

I grew up out in the "sticks" in the village of Glenford, Ohio and I remember that blizzard all too well. I turned 7 years old that January of 1978. We lived down a long lane on a farm. The road we lived off of didn't get touched for months because of the hills and the sharp curves that led up and down those hills. No plow trucks, or the like, could get to us because of how steep the hills were and how tight the curves were. My dad had to take off work until Spring that year. Our car was at the top of the lane snowed in inside our landlord's garage. In the back and front of the house the snow was so deep we had to climb out my two brothers bedroom window, walk around the side of the house on top of the frozen snow to get to the front of the house where the snow wasnt as deep but still blocked access to the front door, and slide on an old car hood to get to the barn to get our stored food. It was a good thing our mom did nothing but can goods all summer of 1977 or we would have gone hungry. We heated our home by a large wood furnace in the basement, the basement was filled to the ceiling with wood and coal. We had a tractor hooked up to a heavy-duty generator which gave us electricity to cook with and keep the refrigerator running. Granted, we shut off the upstairs and all 5 of us ( dad, mom, my two brothers and I) slept in the living room, we were very warm. Dad and mom brought our mattresses down from our beds. The TV was our only window to what was going on in the other counties around us since, back then we only got 5 TV stations by way of an out side antenna and they were local city channels. We'd play card or board games, work on school work, I'd color or play with my toys my mom brought down for me or what things we'd got for Christmas just a month before. I've never seen a blizzard ever come close or even near the 1978 blizzard. No where close.

[@insatiablecuriosity2555]

I was 13...loved every minute of it.....sledding...building igloos...I remember toasting marshmallows around the igloo campfire...we made a huge snow sculpture of Snoopy from peanuts....good times!!!...(and a lot of shoveling);)

[@dabprod]

I remember that storm very well. Our daughter was an infant and we were snowed in for days. Had firewood and food and made it fine. Didn't have a snowblower then so had to shovel out the car and driveway and find the mail box. We were in up-state NY and got around 4 feet of snow from that one storm, and that's on top of the snow already on the ground. But we were young and healthy and like all our neighbors, we just dealt with it.

[@UNoBugMe1]

I was 12 years old and remember that day very vividly. I lived on the Rhode Island ,Massachusetts border and the National Guard and state police would not let anyone enter into Tiverton from the Massachusetts side. We dug some of biggest igloos and tunnels in the snow banks. Lots of fun for us kids.

[@neolithicnobody8184]

I remember 2 story houses looking like a Ranch House on a big pile of snow. Snow drifts THAT deep. All, and I do mean ALL, roads were closed in our area for nearly 2 weeks. Excavation companies were brought in with heavy equipment to dig out the State Plows and all of the stranded vehicles left at the Storm's mercy. Entire Semis were completely buried in the drifts. As for myself and family, we did just fine. We made a makeshift sleigh and hitched the horses to it and made grocery runs 3 miles into town. Back then, stores and gas stations didn't stay open 24/7 like today. We had no power for almost 2 weeks at -20 degree temps mixed with 50mph winds. We heated and cooked with wood and kerosene lanterns for light. Melted snow in 55 gallon drums over a campfire to provide for necessities and livestock on our little farm in Ohio. Dad always kept at least 6 months worth of supplies at all times, for a family of both Parents and 10 kids. His achievement was 6 years worth on hand and ready. Yeah, those were the days.....when it was SO frigidly cold, the Ohio River FROZE!!! We walked from Ohio to Kentucky and back without a bridge, as well as several vehicles I might add. Average speed of cars or trucks didn't exceed 40mph and kept their distance from the pedestrian traffic. We like to remember it as "The Day we walked on water!". lol

[@joes6883]

What I experienced in the blizzard of '78 here in southern Indiana was a blizzard for the books. It wasn't the amount of Snow we got that impacted so much. Got 12" and the wind drifted it around 10' in most places. What made it one for the record books wasn't the Snow,,,it was the Temperature. Natural temperature was -35 Below Zero. The wind chill was -65 below. THAT along with the Snow was a,,,,Blizzard. Paralyzed Dubois County where I lived for a week. Remember it like it was yesterday. Literally, you could spit and it would freeze before it hit the sidewalk. Man O Man !

[@wadeash9370]

I was stationed at fort Benning, Georgia and was one of the US ARMY'S task force that airlifted out of the South to help with snow removal in Providence, RI. It was known as Operation Snowblower II. We went on alert that Monday And touched down on Wednesday. Unloaded our equipment and started plowing snow and continued for 14 days. I only stayed for eight days because my father had a medical emergency at home in Oregon and I was needed there. It was an experience.

[@billwilson5341]

I don't say it lightly: Thank you for your service!

[@Msflamingo-wl4qo]

Thank you for your Service, Sir! We appreciate you always!❣

[@inkey2]

I remember soldiers directing traffic in the Boston suburb of Newton Massachusetts.

[@rogerm8557]

I was in my senior year at UConn when this storm hit. I was living in the dorms, on campus. This was the first time in history that the entire campus of this state university was shut down for 3 days. I lived on the 2nd floor of the dorm, and we were jumping out of the windows into the snow, it was piled so high. One of the guys had a 4 wheel drive jeep. We dug it out, and he was able to get to the packy and buy a keg of beer. So we had a nice blizzard party!

[@gfurstnsu]

A great fear at the heigh of the storm and the following days was Worcester, MA. This city is famous for the seven hills and the number of wooden triple decker homes covering these hills. My uncle was a high ranking reserve officer in the Corps of Engineers. He told me the great fear was that a random heater would start a fire and it would lead to the destruction of major portions of Worcester since the fire trucks could not respond because of the depth of the snow and the steep roads. This is why the national guard had a heavy mobilization in Worcester. His name was Everett Maynard. He told me as he was dying of cancer that this was his proudest achievement.

[@SpiritBear12]

I didn't live in Worcester at the time of the storm, but later in my very early adult years I lived in and around Worcester. Even in dry weather I worry about some one's breaks failing coming down one of those hills, esp Belmont St hill.

[@brad11344]

Some steep hills in Worcester

[@jayemporia4516]

Gosh I remember that storm! We'd had a couple of big storms before that and they hadn't even cleaned up the streets when the blizzard hit. I lived about 20 miles north of Boston and not far from 495. I could see the highway from my house. The storm reminded me of some storms in NH when I was a kid so I went out to the street, opened up my jacket and let the wind blow me up and down the street. Bars and restaurants stayed open for the storm's duration in the citys. I loved the week after the storm. Everyone was friendly and the neighbors played together skiing and sledding and throwing snowballs etc. I've been through some horrid whiteout blizzards out west that weren't half the fun the bluzzard of 78 was. I think most of us enjoyed that one. The area I lived it was one of the areas hit by the gas pipeline rupture a few years ago. Sure glad I wasn't there for that one!

[@towrnghrybear]

I remember that blizzard - it was GREAT - but, I was 10 LOL the cars where covered, our van had snow drifted over it. We were very lucky to have a HUGE snow blower but, still had to walk a few miles to get groceries dragging a sled with a laundry basket strapped on it. My family also went camping often as did the other neighbors but, all the husbands were out of town and the housewives except my mother didn't have a CLUE!! We had several families in our house because we could use the camp stoves and had 5 cords of wood with a newly(re popular) wood stove. We didn't see the front end loaders and bulldozers for more than a week. One of my fondest memories of growing up in Massachusetts during the 1970's.....

[@danielmorse6597]

I remember being off school for about a week. We lived on the farm and heated with wood and had an old hand pump so no problems when the power went out. To this day i always keep extra supplies and stuff for winter. People today do not.

[@caseysmith544]

I do but then a big ass storm in late 1997 into 1998 two different big sets when I lived in Madison Wisconsin area caused us to be stuck for so long that schools had to go an extra week at the end of school for me. Then later a storm in 2017 in Pierre (Pier) South Dakota where I live now caused School to be closed for a week and then later another week one in late April the other in early May, the winter was not over until mid May that year, the latest since the year in the 1949 to some older people who knew that was the year when snow did not end until mid June.

[@jessicabeek3883]

Very well done. I was three years old. And I have very faint memories of the storm because I was so young. This was a very touching documentary.

[@karljacobson7811]

I remember this storm very well. I was 14 and we didn’t have school for a week...wow, cool, but we had to shovel our driveway.☹️. It took 2 days to shovel. My father was one of the unlucky commuters trapped on RT 128 in Dedham. He walk 1/2 mile to a local hotel. We didn’t see him until 5 days later. The national guard was called in and removed snow and cars from the highway. We walked to grocery market a used a sled to haul the food back home. Amazing storm!

[@patgavigan3601]

Truly an amazing storm. Weatherman Bob Harris on New York radio, came in to the station about 12 hrs. before it began Sunday night, and excitedly warned that this would a massive historic storm. The 2nd night of the blizzard produced a 3 hour total white out If it had come during the day I think people would have felt claustrophobic. Never saw any nor'easter that intense!

[@fortheearth]

Loved this documentary on the blizzard of 78. Thanks for sharing!

[@Neilsowards]

Ft. Wayne, IN went through the same thing. I will never forget the sound of the wind that night, as we lay in bed. We had a visitor with us and he had to stay for a week. Our street was one of the first cleared because we lived across from a hospital. It is right about not having any place to put the snow. We made a tunnel in front of our house so that people could walk on the side walk, through the tunnel. Lots of terrible stories about people caught out in it (not lucky like us at home). One young woman got accidently caught outside with her baby and sat on the stairs outside all night. She later had to have surgery for frostbite. I believe the baby survived. Another , a trucker of a semi was completely covered and found days later (okay) by his brother who drove the highway looking for him and saw an antenna in the snow. Interesting time.

[@irenebrennick]

1978 was the last year I lived in Massachusetts. I've been in California ever since. I hate cold weather. When that storm hit, I was stranded in Boston with lots of other people I worked with at the Shawmut Bank. We went to a little bar called Zitos, then went back to the bank and slept there until we could get a train the next day. Ahh the memories.

[@magovenor]

Irene Brennick After I returned home from basic training I attended construction school in Connecticut, after which I worked up until I smelled snow in the air. I quit bought a one way ticket to Florida for a month , then went to California for the same reasons you started, I too hated the snow and cold.

[@jeffsmart9482]

I'll take the snow & freezing temps every day over droughts & fires California deals with constantly!!!

[@chimayai]

@Pegbur LOL whoever crafted that snow sculpture has my eternal respect. I never dreaded winter until I moved to CT in 2000.

[@PandaMom9230]

At 39 seconds, picture with the big bulldozer, that's 2nd St. in Medford. The red house next to the pink one was the house my dad grew up in. Very cool to see this in the video!

[@vivians9392]

Looks like a nice big home. My home is red, too, so I'm partial to that color, but I don't have a big pink one next to me. Yikes!

[@elioselectric468]

Lived in Medford for 10 year. Right on the Somerville line near On the Hill Tavern, Dunkys, Magoun Sq.. Winter Hill.

[@kurtwright7830]

Loader ,not a buldozer

[@elioselectric468]

@Joeand theHoe I'm living there now, off and on for 15 years. Small world

[@elioselectric468]

@Joeand theHoe 2 min from me. I'm on Bellevue ter, Medford

[@Titus-as-the-Roman]

I realize this was a story about Boston/Mass. but a large swath of the upper 1/3 of the U.S., from the coast to well into the plains were also covered that year. I lived outside Wright-Patterson A.F.B. and we were hammered. A friend lived on a hill overlooking Route 4 (a major 4 lane road w/median) and said for almost a week and a half the only vehicles he saw were military all-terrain trucks.

[@elizabethtrainer9732]

I lived through that storm, for as bad as it was, it was also wonderful. Imagine, today, if you put your phones down and actually walked with, and talked with your neighbor's and perfect stranger's...what a different world that would be, not only for connection, but for love and harmony.

[@benscoles5085]

too bad it takes an event like this to bring folks together, I was a sophomore in HS when this happened, we had an egg farm, I gathered 14 to 16 thousand eggs a day, and no way to get them to the place that marketed them, needless to say , I ate LOTS of fried eggs...

[@renee2994]

I enjoy the fact that I don't know the neighbors I don't want to be bothered at the end of the day..we wave at each other n that's it...

[@elizabethtrainer9732]

@@benscoles5085 Sophomore in H.S. as well.

[@elizabethtrainer9732]

@@renee2994 That's sad, bit I understand, it's nice to have your neighbor's around for ONLY emergencies as well, sometimes a conversation with your neighbor is just not needed EVERYDAY, especially after a long day.

[@brendabauer8499]

I was a senior during this storm. At that time I lived on Brockton’s west side. Being only 5’3”.....lol...our snow was neck high for me! Yeppers.....!!! A storm I will never forget. ;-) As far as neighbors....I live in South Florida (yeah, about as far as you can get stateside AWAY from snow! (G)) and after tropical storms, we all come together. We also have Crime Watch in our neighborhood now, and each quarter (pre-pandemic) many of us get together. It’s a good mix.

[@FloozieOne]

I was living in (about 2 blocks from) Harvard Square at the time and working in Waltham (about 5 miles away). By late morning the day after it stopped snowing a co-worker and I decided to walk out and got to the end of the trolley line in Belmont. Nothing moving but snow flying up from behind one 8-foot bank. Over the bank we slide down into a tiny commuter's restaurant. The place was wall-to-wall cops. They couldn't go anywhere either and well, they had donuts, and you know a cop looks at a donut; with love in their eyes. Finally got a ride to Harvard Square from a guy in an old station wagon with no glass in his windows, just plastic sheeting taped over them. The real problem came when I tried to get up my driveway. The drive was about 40' long and 5' deep in snow. I finally had to "swim" up it in a breaststroke using my open coat to keep me from sinking down with each stroke. By the time I got about 3/4 of the way up I was getting so tired I was beginning to wonder if I was going to make it, but all my yelling finally paid off and my father looked out the door and saw me. He threw me a life ring from our boat that was being stored in the basement and he and my brother pulled me in. After we got the driveway clear I went exploring and had one of the best days of my life. The snow pile in Harvard Square was about 25' high and there was a constant snowball fight going on for "King of the Mountain". The National Guard came through in the their half-tracks and got a big cheer. Remember that this was the time when cops and the military were hated and despised by most young people so this was a big deal. Later I went back and helped out neighbor hook up his Newfoundland to a sled so he could get around to find food and stuff for his family. A BIG strong young rambunctious dog tied to a sled made for quite a ride. It was a blast. Well that is more than enough of my story, but thanks for posting this, it sure brought the memories back and I have a big smile on right now.

[@duckduckgoismuchbetter]

Great story!

[@sandraray6106]

Love your story, Holly. Couldn't make this shit up if we tried, right??

[@jayemporia4516]

My dad would have been your postman!😅

[@jamesmclaughlin3482]

Sounds like you had a blast. So many people donated blood, that the Red Cross had to turn away potential donors, and ended up discarding a lot of the blood that had been donated. I was working for the Red Cross at 812 Huntington Avenue back then.

[@barbaraoliveira3122]

My husband worked at Citizens Bank in Providence, RI, and I worked at RI Hospital Trust National Bank; also in Providence--at the opposite ends of Westminister Street. It took him 2 hrs. To get to me, and another 4 hours to drive home to Bristol! Cars were stuck all over the highway, but my Ford Pinto got us home with no problem. Thank you Henry Ford!❤

[@Nope-ec5yv]

I was five and living in Wisconsin at the time. 70’s was a good time to be a kid. Lots of snow and snow days staying home.

[@sidilicious11]

I’m 10 years older and also grew up in Wisconsin. The ‘60’s winters were great for us kids too! So many good memories.

[@henrycastorino8195]

I remember walking home from work in Queens NY the snow was up to my waist at my age now I wouldn't have made it home!

[@hilaryapril7043]

Henry..I lived in Bayside...had to stay at a co workers apt in Manhattan for a couple of days...incredible amount of snow...NYC was paralyzed! Couldn't find any footage of NYC on u tube

[@Asigner4u2]

I remember being off from school my senior year. Our street was plowed down to pavement because we lived in back of a hospital. Doctors and nurses were picked up and brought in by the National Guard. My b/f walked from Providence to see me, while I had gone down the street to the store to pick up some supplies I arrived to see Mom feeding him soup. We had a great time for a few days and then he walked back home.

[@isitrachelorj3953]

One of the best things hat ever happened to me. As a 17 year old, living with an unemployed, alcoholic single parent and raising two little brothers (social services were not what they are today) in Clinton Ma. I had the opportunity to earn almost $180 shovelling during the canceled school week. I filled the oil tank (39 cents a gallon, I recall), paid the real estate taxes that were overdue (town treasurer Mr Coyne was a kind man) and stocked the cupboards and fridge for my brothers and I. Wasn't the end of our problems but made the late winter/early spring more comfortable. Thank you mother nature, still grateful 45 years later.

[@bobc3895]

i was living on the first floor of a 2 family house and was lucky to have a gas log on the old Glenwood stove in the kitchen so when power went out I still had some heat. From my front porch you could see the neponset bridgs and the drifts were 4-5 foot on the bridge, That night at about 11Pm there was a pounding on my front door, it was my brother in law who had walked the 3 miles from Quincy Sq to get to me. The next day we shoveled out the front walk and made our way to the main drag that had been plowed by bulldozer, we walked down to his car in front of St Johns church and dug that out. The main roads were plowed with heavy equipment but the side streets still had 3-4 feet of snow on them. i always kept plenty of food in the house in wintertime and when I started to run low on things I walked to a local convenience store and bought what I needed, he was running a tab for people in the area that didn't have any cash, the banks didn't open for days. I saw people pulling sleds to carry what they bought back to the house. There was a liquor store about half a block from that store and you could see the men had gone in there while the kids with sleds went to the store. the storm brought people together just like a hurricane would.

[@charliel.boston6195]

I worked this storm as long as I could before giving up. The backhoe and dump truck couldn't keep up with the drifting snow. The boss and I held up in the golf club's clubhouse overnight. It was a good place to be, more than comfortable after breaking the locks to get food and drink! My friends were enlisted to shuttle nurses into and out of Boston hospitals twelve miles away via rte 93 with their skimobiles . I wish I had the the photos they took of Washington Street lit up at night with the fluorescent glow bouncing off the three feet of snow. I took the truck home(only snow removal vehicles allowed, either registered or not) and it took me twenty minutes to climb from the street to my door. You had to live it to understand the Blizzard of '78.

[@randallbates9020]

Yes indeed. It was a different time then. I tell my grandchildren about it, they can't believe we survived with social media. LOL

[@rollingstopp]

in winter always have provisions in your home always have provisions in your car and hang in there LOL

[@jdearing46]

I was 14yrs old when this storm did it's thing. I made a ton of spending money shoveling out peoples cars drives and front doors. Did the sled thing to and from the store. No school for almost two weeks. It was awesome!

[@StarSong936]

I grew up in Michigan. We were snowed in for 2 weeks. Fortunately, my mom had just gone shopping they day before the blizzard struck, and purchased enough supplies that we were not hurting for anything during that time. We were buying milk from the dairy farm across the road from us. This was the only time I ever saw a whiteout. The storm lasted for 3 days, and when it was over the snow was 4 feet deep on the roads. The regular snow plows could not get through. They had to get out the giant earth movers, and the snow plows from the U.P. to plow out the roads. BTW, you know someone is from Michigan if they use their hand for a map.

[@jeanninebaker2891]

Daniel Gable , I'm not sure how to do this, but I too grew up in Michigan. Traverse City to be exact. I remember the '78 blizzard very well. We got snowed in, we lived 13 miles from town. Our neighbor came to plow our driveway but got stuck. Thank God we had a snowmobile, because our neighbor had a baby that needed milk, so my dad took the snowmobile up to a little convenient store... before they had gas station. The snow was up to the roof of our house!! What a great memory!! I live in Georgia now and yes I use my hand to tell people where I grew up!!

[@michaelvrooman5681]

I was in the central U.P. grew up in a town called Trenary. We were snowed in for 9 days if i remember correctly. My dad ran the Trenary Co-op. He stayed at the store for the duration of that starm in case the local farmers or customers needed anything. Most of us had snowmobiles so once visibility was decent, we checked on area people who were snowed in with no way to get out. Took them groceries, coffee, cigarettes and beer. Must haves during a shut down. LOL

[@JeepGirl.24-7]

I grew up in Battle Creek, Mi and was 12 when this blizzard hit. I will never forgot watching the National Guard rolling thru town..what a sight it was!

[@jamesharber7820]

Yes, and the “thumb” is part of the northeastern portion of Michigan. I travelled southwest Michigan for four years and saw a LOT of snow(s).

[@dobermanpac1064]

I lived through this...stay very happy in front of the fire...I never had less than 5 cases of beer and 2 gallons of vodka on hand, but on day four of being trapped in, we needed to ratio out the booze! LOL.... Loving life in NC now...no more harsh winters for this old man

[@crim101a]

Me too. From the Bronx to upstate NY to NC.

[@Dan-uv5lw]

Route 128 was a parking lot of stranded cars.

[@mmmbad]

I remember waiting for a bus in that blizzard. The snow was blowing so hard it felt like little needles on my face. It was awful!

[@Scarecrow-pk3nr]

I couldn't have described it better it did hurt

[@flyingphotography5770]

I lived in Pawtucket during this storm. We were dismissed early from Automatic Chain. My ride drove a Datsun B210. What was normally a 20 minute drive back to Pawtucket turned into several hours. The Datsun didn’t get stuck but everything in our path did. So we had to get them unstuck so we could continue. By the time we finally got home, the Datsun had enough momentum to slide sideways into the driveway and that’s where it stayed. I recall walking out to one of the overpass bridges on 95. It was as if everything just instantly stopped, frozen in time. Stranded motorists were breaking into closed businesses just to survive. It was so eerily quiet for days. We had plenty of food, and heat and the electric stayed on. My ride’s mother made these awesome chocolate pudding pies. We were warm, safe, and played video games on the Atari 2600. I recall the meteorologist John Ghiorse telling us we were gonna get hit pretty hard and to just get home and stay home.

[@dennisleporte2327]

I was 9 pushing 10. My dad owned a Hardware Store in Hanson. His shelfves were cleared out. Shovels , salt , generators , snow blowers, kerosene lanterns, you name it. We ate good that year lol.

[@TheGalagaKing]

I was the exact same age and after taking one look at the aftermath the next morning, I was like a kid in a candy shop! :) Didn't have school for at least a week if not more.

[@Nighttrain701]

I was 8 pushing a snow shovel.

[@martimatheson6438]

Yes,people actually bought what they needed then,most didn't break into the stores and loot!!!

[@stonerock1980]

i was at my aunts out in the country, Ohio, and the snow was as high as the second floor windows in the front of the house, you could just see the tops of the apple trees sticking out , the back door didn't drift as high. the barn completely drifted over the roof and we sledded down it and dug tunnels for a week, the road out front was 6 foot deep took awhile to get cleared out. one of the fun best weeks of my childhood. my uncle had a snowmobile and did the store runs for all the neighbors. good memories.

[@randallbates9020]

I was there, Warwick Rhode Island, I was in 8th grade. Back in those days most us walked to school and me and my friends walked the approx 2 miles to get home. Our street didn't get plowed until 9 days had passed after the storm. Our backyard touched T F Green airport, Rhode Islands main airport is in Warwick not Providence and the snow drifts got so high we had to go out a window to shovel out our doors. I remember watching the US national guard land a C5 Galaxy equipment hauler land at the airport, it was quite a sight watching it come in, we didn't think it was gonna have enough runway. Our main department store was called Ann & Hope and it had so much snow in front of the doors that it was a week before anyone could even get back in there. Incredible. And people wonder why I live in Southwest Missouri and North Texas now.... LOL..... I have had ENOUGH of those kind of winters. I haven't shoveled any significant amount of snow in 15 years and don't care if I ever do again. This documentary is just the tip of the iceberg concerning this storm, it was so much more than what their running time could hold. Thanks for those memories.

[@reclusivelife4860]

I was a teen during the blizzard of 78 in Massachusetts we had 48" - 56" of snow in our yard. I remember opening the back door and you was looking at nothing but snow, the snow drifts were crazy. So we had to go to the upper level of our home and use the patio door to go outside onto the patio deck. We used sleds and walked to the store for food some used ski mobiles with sleds tied to the back to drag food through the snow to help people out, you did what you could. Back then everyone helped out however they could that's how it was back then. We was with out electric and heat for 5 days we used every blanket we could find in the home to keep warm and stayed by our wood burning fireplace for heat.

[@jazzis4u1]

I got stuck on Rt 128 on my way home from Brighton to North Attleboro. It was supposed to be a moderate storm but quickly turned into a disaster. I was in my wife’s ‘76 Pinto. She was from Mobile, Alabama and always told me she wanted to come up north and see snow. I had to wait til they cleared the exit to Rt 1 and then continued but was almost out of gas as I had been waiting and idling for hours. Came upon a gas station and my momentum carried me to the pump and no farther because the snow was so deep. It was a truck stop so I spent the night there and hitched a ride with a snowplow to North Attleboro the next day. When I got home Katie (my lovely wife) was furious because I left her alone in the scary storm. Nothing moved for a week. People got around on cross country skis and snow shoes. Yeah, no internet, no cell phones. Quite a memory.

[@janmachado5342]

had 67 gto with posi trac standard trans and 20in wide rear tires, I drove around during the beginning up to abput 10in of snow, after the storm at the state school where they plowed with front end loader they made a huge ramp, I drove to the top of that and even helped one of their patrol cars out of the deep snow, great car with great memories....cheers! yea, I am logged thru my wife's account, Im Frankie...btw, it was Paul A. Dever school in Taunton...

[@jimwilloughby]

I was a firefighter in Shrewsbury, Ma. back then. All of us were called to duty and we were in the stations for 4 days straight. Before going in to work, I remember a weather forecast calling for partly cloudy and cold for the next few days. We got twelve to 24 inches of partly cloudy.

[@lisag1829]

Shout out to the store owners and snowmobile peeps! I was 10 years old and lived in lower Michigan- we had snow to our roof- nobody went anywhere unless you had a snowmobile and shovel yourself out of your own front door! We ice skated on our driveway that year we also had an ice storm in Michigan- great memories as a child - we who went through this are made tough!!

[@formersupermodel848]

Thanks for reminding me of the snow sculptures in peoples yards!

[@adamd9891]

Long Island, NY, the snow came up to my hips, when I was 12 at that time. I saw people skiing on a normally busy Sunrise Highwy, by the LIRR.

[@ripp846]

+Adam D Same here. I was 12 as well and had a great time off school for a week! Toledo Ohio was completely covered by a snow fall I've never seen before or since.

[@damonlemasters3424]

Here in Pennsylvania we had snow up past our hips in 1993 and 2010 drifts over 10 feet high it just wasn't as cold and wind 1978.

[@johnnylightning1967]

Adam D lived in Huntington Station Long Island , I was 16, made a lot of money shoveling driveways, we blew all the money at Tally

[@wontbefooledagain9400]

ripp846 I was about 12 in Lindenhurst, only snow days we ever had!

[@robertyoung7823]

Just a kid back then but we had a blast in all that snow. Probably won't see that ever again

[@deniseroberts7481]

Oh I remember it well my husband and I got married a month after the Storm in fact that whole winter was quite snowy and blustery !

[@ryanwaidalowski9221]

I was 6 in 78 and I miss the old days when things were much simpler. Things are to fast now and it’s unfortunate.

[@genosim63]

This storm was the ultimate. 15 years old in E. Boston directly across from Logan airport. 2 hi tides, significant previous snow on the ground n another 2 1/2 ft dumped slowly on you with insane wind gusts n drifts for about 36 hrs! The strongest theme undoubtedly was how we didn't stop shoveling n helping friends n neighbors for what seemed like the better part of a week. Morning noon n night we worked together till everyone's houses walkways n cars were shoveled free, even though cars were going nowhere!! Then the fun began with hockey, football n mountains with tunnels of snow that transformed Eastie into a town resembling something from a Dickens classic circa 1800s. Bless all who experienced it! 🦌🌧☃️🎅🤶⛷

[@maryh3470]

I was 7 yrs old & all I remember was good times & being excited by all the snow. We have pictures of my 6 brothers & sisters & I standing by the snowmen we all made. ☃️

[@Gity444]

I was 3 yrs old in Pawtucket, R I and I honestly remember this storm!

[@timdubeau9152]

I was just kid then. Not till I got older did I realize how devastating it was. All those people left stranded in their cars!! 😥😥

[@lisaendress724]

We had a blizzard here in Cincinnati Ohio to then. I remember it was the first and only time I saw my grandma wear pants!

[@benscoles5085]

Lived at the north end of the state, near Findlay, Toledo area, it was cold to say the least, it was the first time I heard my Grandma complain about snow, cold, and her unanswered prayers for the storm to miss us

[@A2D4]

What a great memory. Funny!

[@elizabethjordan5755]

We lived in Sandusky Ohio during the storm of 78. I was 17, a senior in high school. Didn't think we'd graduate. We missed so many days of school that winter.

[@pi1797]

I remember the blizzard in Cincinnati. The only thing that saved us was my brother 4x4 CJ7 Jeep. He would do grocery runs for us and neighbors.

[@timothykissinger4883]

It was Louisville, Ky s first official blizzard in decades.

[@tmarkhamesq]

It was the ice storms before or after (can’t remember) the Blizzard that killed the power for 1-2 weeks and kept everything at a standstill.

[@davidruffin9585]

After,it was the ice

[@Titus-as-the-Roman]

When I heard the comment about bread & milk I had to laugh, I now live in the south-western Ohio valley where we normally get little winter snow, people will not buy bread or milk for weeks at a time but hear the words snow in the forecast and you can bet there will be a run on both like they had never had either before.

[@sandraray6106]

Can't live without that milk and bread. Winder how many people lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that week??

[@benscoles5085]

You may have seen this, but it is about your comment kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2fdkomPjLGHobc

[@helenchristman2950]

I am from southeast Pa. I always heard it was milk, bread and eggs. We always joke that everyone will be making french toast.

[@blondwiththewind]

TIPS FROM NORTHERN MAINE.......Always keep about two weeks supply ahead of canned and dried goods and your cellah', and rotate them as you as you use them up so NONE of it gets very old......fill the tub with watah' (wash it out first...duh!!).....own a snowmobile, toboggan or similar sliding sled, gasoline powered portable electric generator (just GET ONE: you can always sell it on Craig's list latah').....have a back-up heating system for the house(one that doesn't depend on electricity, and allows you to cook and/or heat water on it)....Oil lamps are better than candles (but you will probably need both anyway)...snowshoes and cross-country skis in the cellah'.....Snowmobile suits are great to wear in the house when the power goes out (I carry one and an extra pair of boots, gloves, hats, mittens in the cah' trunk in case you get stuck out innit )....Make sure Grandma' keeps knitting hats, scarves, mittens, and stockings all year....if you've been naughty this year and Santa only brings you a lump of coal: no problem, you'll use it up....old baby stockings make great dog "booties" to keep the ice from forming between their toes 'cause those poor buggers gotta' go OUT to do that stuff!! (put about three layers of baby socks on pup's feet....and a ponytail band around 'em to hold them on....NOT too tight)....you can survive for weeks on popcorn and instant coffee if you have to (I call it "The Maine Cleanse" :)and you'll be in good shape for when swimsuit season starts.......oops....gotta' stop typing....just lost the powah'.......Knew I shoulda' charged that battry.......

[@thefrase7884]

blondwiththewind ........don’t quit your day job!

[@billgray3796]

it was amazing!...i could write a book as long as " war and peace" describing my experience during those days...if nothing else you learned who your friends were and it was a men stand up boys sit down thing...believe me!

[@barbkeen1221]

blondwiththewind- ROFLMBO! I love your comment, I can just hear it now! Thanks for making my day! 🙂

[@dabprod]

blondwiththewind........PERFECT. LMAO and just made my day. I live over in up-state NY but love Maine.....and the people. I remember the '78 blizzard well.

[@paulmacbrien798]

Excellent advice! From some one who grew up on the 45th parallel, winter was an adventure and us kids spent extra time tobogganing and ice skating while parents took care of preparation for power outage.

[@elikinder1506]

I sure remember 78 snow storm. I lived on a farm. I had much food stored up from the summer. Plenty of meat from animals butchered that fall. Every day I shoveled day light to dark for three days. I was the one who took the state road men to work for snow removal. I had a GMC I HAD FIXED UP FOR JUST A WINTER SNOW LIKE THAT. One thing I do remember is the trees snapping and braking. They were falling every where. Many didn’t have electricity. I let two families move in with me until things become better.

[@robertquentincobb]

And I thought we had it bad in Buffalo. Really good little documentary! 5 star.

[@b66docos]

It was just another winter for us in NH, of course being 12 years old nothing outside of our parents was a major disaster to me and my friends. I had heard later on about some of the deaths and problems that people had in big cities I felt for them but it made me move further north. I love the four seasons and I like big winters. 78 was like a holiday to us kids as far as the weathermen and women go in forecasting it...our motto in NE is if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 mins it will change. The Farmers Almanac was literally more reliable than any NE weather station ever was.

[@degrandmjr]

I live in Manchester NH at the time I was 22 and working . lucky they let us go home early

[@mikehagan4320]

Why do reporters always call front end leaders " Bulldozers" ? A Bulldozer is a tractor on tracks with a big flat blade across the front of it to push material.

[@ivanl2036]

He also says in part one that the schools "foreclosed" due to the snow. Foreclosure is a action of taking possession of a mortgaged property. The schools closed because of snow, not foreclosed because of the snow. Doesn't seem like a bright reporter.

[@mikehagan4320]

@@ivanl2036 I didn't hear the " foreclosure" statement. That's Hilarious. But I know speaking in front of people is easier said than done. But we can still laugh! You started my Morning with a laugh. Thanks!!!

[@mikehagan4320]

LOADERS. LOADERS. LOADERS. Spell check is a Demon!

[@timothykissinger4883]

Or why do they still call diesel powered rollers steam rollers?

[@boknows3841]

We had no electricity for a month, no heat, no television, but the telephone still works. My dad didn't miss a single day of work, we had a Jeep. The next year he bought a 71 Blazer because the Jeep was too small. Family of 8 didn't fit in a CJ5.

[@leezee2894]

I was 23 years old working at Logan Air Port in Boston when the storm just got started my boss let us all go home didn't come back to work for 2 weeks a time I'll never forget .

[@johnslomko4040]

I remember that that day l was stationed at the Philadelphia Naval Yard worked for the 4th Marine Corps District as an Admin Chief before going to work went to the chow hall on base as l was living in the barracks at the time it started flurrying and didn't think much of it loved the snow. Got to work a little bit early and it started snowing heavier. Other people showed up for work at that time. The major that was in charge of our unit came in and said it was gonna be a major storm so we worked until about 900 am the snow was really coming down so he told the civilians that worked with us to go home. He sent the marines that lived out in town to go home too . He finally told us who were living in the barracks to go too. It was a Friday l believe, So me being adventurous and 22yrs old and l lived in NJ growing up Perth Amboy l didn't want to stay on the base all weekend long so l said l'm hitchhiking home to Perth Amboy. I had a nice pair of LL Bean boots put on a pair of long johns and jeans. Put on long john shirt and flannel shirt with a warm midlength jacket,scarf and hat. The liquor store on base was open about that time got 2 pints of leroux BlackBerry Brandy stuffed them in my jacket pockets and proceeded off base on to highway 295 to NJ. Snow was really now walked about a half mile someone stopped and wanted to give me a ride l told me them no l'm on an adventure hahaha hahaha hahaha l would say about 16 people offered me rides l refused l was having a great time. l walked about 4 hrs and was at the end of 295 and the connection to Rte 1 someone stopped and ask me if l wanted a lift and l said yes still snowing really hard. They took me to the exit where 440 started and the highway went all the way to the Outerbridge going into Staten Island NY lives 2 blocks away from the bridge. So l'm walking along the highway and here comes this NJ State Trooper car he pulled over lights flashing the blizzard was finally over about 4:15 in the afternoon not a bad walk hahaha hahaha he waves his hand to come to the car l get up to the car and l start laughing he was a friend l grew up with and families did alot of things together he also went in the Marines and got out to become a State Trooper. He gave me a ride home and that's that

[@petersanders5321]

I remember that one. The year I graduated from Hamilton - Wenham High. Added two weeks to the graduation. Boy, that was some snow totals.

[@shirleybalinski4535]

Oh yeah. Living in Michiga 's Upper Penninsula. Temps of -30 combined with wind chill from winds off Lake Superior, gave us app.-65. The snow, on top of what we already had was fantastic. The wind whipped it into drifts 20 to 25 feet. Snowmobiles used top of electrical lines( poles) along train tracks to navigate. The top of the poles were all that was visible. Even for UP standards it was a doozy.

[@walterpaton8698]

I remember watching city plows speeding up to break through the snow on my street and get dead stop. Overnight I awoke to a very loud plow from the local army base plowing my street ..

[@pamklus2061]

I was in Newport ri with my 5 yr old son...today at 46 he still talks about it!..was unbelievable!!

[@ingridr4374]

I remeber that storm! I was 10! It was great being a kid then!

[@lorraine9242]

Yup. I had a GREAT time. hahaha

[@grmacdonald777]

Rockland Ma I was 11 we would ride my neighbors ski mobile to Abington Weymouth. Good Lord there was 8 of us kids trapped in our house playing nerf basketball and watching Creature Double Feature with recently passed channel 56 and DJ Dale "Uncle Dale" Dorman on the tube great time for a kid but awful for Adults plus over 50 deaths. Will always remember this unreal storm

[@grmacdonald777]

+Iam free lol! right! used to go to Rangely Maine. not sure if that's how you spell Rangely so I apologize if I'm wrong. but it was basically ski mobile town! you go out to eat on your ski mobile go inside and the restaurant had a fire place where you could dry your gloves and boots! love Maine and the people are really nice. actually heading up to Welles this month! we go every year and I always get a Lobster roll at the crab shack

[@grmacdonald777]

+Iam free that is Awesome!

[@timcoyle50]

That's when my son decided it was a good time to be born!

[@pewdiepie1428]

lol

[@Snowwhite33142]

My Brother was born the same time!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Our last grandson did the same thing the last hurricane!

[@alleybow1]

Of course lol. What a story to have for a birthday!

[@2448karebear]

Tim Coyle my twins also

[@melissaivy5199]

I remember this very well...I was 10 yrs old I had older sister and my parents we all woke up to the snow half way up our front door..our screen door opened out and my sister was much bigger then me she was 13 and I was the only one who fit threw the window to shovel the snow away from the door...it took about 3hrs and I finally I got done..my sister took over and did the rest of the pourch and then we took turns doing the drive way from some reason we only had one shovel...but that was crazy I will always remember the blizzard of '78'

[@michaelashcraft8569]

Here in the Greater Cincinnati,Northern Kentucky area we pulled together to help one another, the young helped the old, even the old helping everyone in an effort like I have not seen since. I hope that spirit is not gone from us!

[@ziggymorris8760]

I remember this stahm and making trips to the supermahket. You couldn’t even see where the pahking lout was, the drifts were so high, that stahm was some wicked scary stuff.

[@valerieannrumpf4151]

I remember that storm, I was 8 years old at the time living on long island, NY with my family and I remember walking to the local supermarket with my dad and older brothers to get the basics.

[@jeaninegimlin7746]

We always kept the pantry full and had. Flour and sugar extra stored So you could make bread or muffins dry milk also make a huge pot of stew and stored extra in the freezer charcoal and extra batteries and a hand cranked radio. Oil lamps and candles. Better prepared that these days

[@oldridersteve217]

I lived near Gloucester Ma I was 10 and dad opened a window pushed me out and threw me a shovel and said start digging kid. The house doors had 6ft of snow over them. It was a week I never forgot.

[@slicko69ng]

My dad made me and my brothers do the same. LOL

[@evilclowntra]

I'm in Prov, RI... We Opened the side door and started making a tunnel . I was was 10 also ... I got in trouble cause I went out the window from the 2nd floor , slid down a snow drift ... if you remember the ice storm that followed it was great for sledding ,those were the days .Stay safe 😷 & 💗Much Love ~

[@johnnyrockingham2569]

I drove from Bennington Vt. to Danbury in that mess along Route 7. (Housatonic on one side and a mountain on the other) When I left Bennington, there was only a wisp of snow blowing. By the time I hit Pittsfield Mass. (halfway home) I was pushing 18" of snow. I made it to within 200' of my house and my car got stuck in a snowbank. I believe the car I was driving saved me and my friend Fred that night; it was a 69 Impala, 350ci, 4speed with a 3.86 posi rear end.

[@oldridersteve217]

The old Impalas we're tanks in the snow. I had a 64 and you couldn't stop that barge if you tried. Must have been a crazy drive

[@tbo2341]

That 1978 blizzard will never be forgotten talk about it all the time that was bad I went to The Hayloft and built a hay Fort and that's how I kept warm and survived we lived off the garden from the previous summer had plenty of food

[@GordonWaiteJr]

I was on duty at Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda, Michigan guarding nuclear weapons loaded B-52’s during the worst of it. The snow was burying our guard shacks and building up under the wings of all the B-52’s and KC-135 refueling aircraft. We were pulled off and abandoned all the aircraft and nuclear weapons. It took us over an hour to drive a Duce and a half loaded with about 20 men to drive less than a mile. We took turns walking in front of the truck so the driver would not go into one of the drainage ditches that parallel the runways. When we got to our hanger the snow was piled up to the top of a B-52 hanger. That’s about 40 ft tall. Cars and vans were buried.

[@drewzilla4800]

We had just moved from JP to Auburn a year before and the house we moved into had a second story flat roof. My Father was concerned that the roof would collapse so being 16 I was told to take my 11 year old brother up to shovel the roof off. The two of us accomplished the task when I realized it was a huge pile and we could probably jump off. We went to the edge and I lined him up and "gently" shoved him off, he landed perfectly except for my Mother drinking her coffee in the breakfast room who saw him land in a puff of white and thinking he fell off. I landed just as he rolled out of the way and she came out of the back door. All hell arose as we both said let's do it again. My Mother got my Father and we were relegated to driveway detail

[@johnhiram1207]

I lived in Providence Rhode Island in 78 and it was a awesome experience. We had a non stop blizzard party for 6 days. One of the best times in my life. We even got a weeks worth of un employment as work was shut down 1 week. We also got the huge bricks of gov. cheese they had back then. All I could see of my car was the tip of the antenna. There were 10 plus foot snow drifts in the city.

[@163pete]

I remember this year well. I had to walk 6 miles to catch a ride to get to work and back home for 3 days! Talk about cold.”

[@belovedtwilight41]

I'll never forget that bizzard..milk n bread in my neighborhood was like gold! being 12 at the time of coarse was fun..we played and had no school for a week but thank God I had working parents who had food and we was able to share some to elderly and others without in south providence. That was the worst storm I have ever seen.

[@toddjacobs5660]

I was 12 yrs old, that was the coolest thing ever...grew up on a dairy farm...south of Rockfalls ,Illinois, 8 miles from Tampico, Illinois, Reagans birth place..15 ft drifts on our road...

[@bigimskiweisenheimer8325]

I was a kid. It was a blast. We had great time.

[@ronaldking4296]

We were living in Baltimore. We had a sliding glass door to our backyard. My three year old would go out and we could not see him as he would tunnel like a worm. After three days I dug the car out to get some milk from the store. Took me about four hours. Placed barricades around yet someone parked in that spot by the time I got back. I washed his windshield with eggs.

[@satinbarbi]

I was 17 at the time and it was just fun for us. A week off from school and we had weed and the beer store was open. We would be out in it at night drinking beer and grabbing onto the backs of the plows to be towed along sliding on our feet like maniacs.

[@tjbeaudreau]

I remember in Worcester the payloaders were given orders to remove the cars if they were in the way. There were cars totally buried making snow removal impossible so they just picked up the cars and moved them to make the street passable.

[@petercole8798]

George great song to end this great nostalgia vid. I remember it well why I SHOVELED THE SHIT FOR ONE WEEK. I WAS LIVING in Quincy we got slammed. We had 40 inches that Monday night I remember thinking the world was ending. George who does that version of let it snow like it thanks Mom and Dad were still alive. Brings back good memories.

[@richiepalleschi3594]

I was 22 years old. Working at a gas station. We stayed a bit late putting on snow tires for people. When I left it was tough to get home. I went too bed, woke the next morning & looked out to see the cars buried. All I saw of mine was the tip of the antenna. My dad worked for the Town of Swampscott ma. he was gone for around 2 weeks doing snow, Got home every few days to sleep a bit. He drove an Oshkosh snow go at the end of the storm doing snow removal. We walked every where, One good thing many people got to meet their neighbors, That without the storm never would have met. The gas station owner & I had to hand shovel the garage out the plow guy could not move it.

[@michaelneel4828]

I had just turned 9 & I can remember it all to well . School was out for a week !!!

[@kimnlrose2057]

I was 8 years old lived in Lynn Mass and well never forget my dad and all the man on street shoveling

[@kennethhigdon1159]

Meanwhile in November and December of 1978 there was a baby boom in New England

[@lynnpalermo9635]

You are sooo right lmao most of my friends growing up had birthdays in the winter