by Jill Vigesaa, NDFB Food, Land & People coordinator
If you live in North Dakota long enough, you will undoubtedly have a snowstorm experience to share. If you live here even longer, you will likely have many snowstorm experiences! With the winter storm watch looming for the weekend, I was reminded once again of the early April blizzard in 1997, after an already snowy and stormy winter.
At the time, my husband and I were living near Carrington, N.D., with our three young children. When the storm started, we didn’t know it was going to be a MAJOR blizzard. Since our driveway and roads were already to the point of blocking with every little breeze, my husband felt he better head into work before it got too bad. He worked for the rural electric, Northern Plains, and because of the many storms already, it was all hands on deck. After he got to work, he called and said that it might be “best” for me to pack up the kids so I wouldn’t be stuck out on the farm. The idea of packing up and leaving our cozy home didn’t seem appealing to me, so I assured him that I would be just fine!
The storm quickly turned into a raging blizzard with winds that made the house creak and the visibility turn to zero. While unsettling, I found things to keep the kids entertained and tried not to be too concerned about the outdoors. My feelings changed when our electricity suddenly went out. Now I felt a little voice questioning why I thought it was a good thing to stay behind when Claire left! With the winds howling, it didn’t take long for the house to begin feeling cold. I gathered up all the blankets I could and hung them over doorways to section off the wayward side of the house, which was our living room. Then I gathered all the candles I could find, including a “Mighty Glow” survival kit from our car. I managed to keep the house bearable. When the phone rang, I would have to dash from our little shelter to answer the phone in our back bedroom, because it was the only one with enough charge to work.
Over the next few days, I had many calls from neighbors who wanted to know when the power would come back on! The office was taking so many calls that people would get a busy signal so they would try me instead. I didn’t have much info for them but tried to encourage them that it was coming. One man was getting more and more irate with each call and at one point said, “Well, I’m sure the cooperative has YOUR power on!” So, I explained that I too had no power, hadn’t seen my husband in a couple of days and had three small children. He apologized profusely and when the storm was over, he brought a large basket of fruit and nuts into the rural electric office and told them it was to be given to the wife that had fielded all his frustrated calls! I appreciated his kind gesture so much.
The winter of 1996-97 was challenging for many farmers and ranchers with great losses to livestock. On day three of the storm, the highway department came with help to bring the children and I into town. It was SUCH a welcome sight!! I remember seeing a couple of the men climbing over snowbanks to get from the main road to our house and then watching as they helped carry our kids back out to the truck for our ride to the warmth and glow of electricity in town (and fresh milk and food)!!
Maybe I will share another blizzard story in the future, one from my youth, in which there where three young boys who lost their lives by our home. It changed me forever and gave me a serious respect for the danger of storms and cold. Stay safe everyone!
myndfblife 