Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 13, 1993 TAG: 9303130166
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JESSICA MARTIN and STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
REGION BATTENS DOWN FOR THE BLIZZARD OF '93
BY THE TIME you read this, you should see snow outside - lots of it. But if the predictions were wrong . . . no one can say Western Virginia wasn't prepared.
Two weeks ago, Southwest Virginians awaited the snow with almost gleeful anticipation.
Friday, that anticipation was tinged with anxiety.
Forecasts escalated over the day, from a winter storm watch early Friday morning to a winter storm warning for all of Southwest Virginia.
Predictions of 6-12 inches grew to 1-2 feet, and with winds expected to reach more than 35 mph - perhaps 50 mph in higher elevations - the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning at 5 p.m. to last through the night and today.
The weather service's Kane Galleo compared the system moving from Georgia up the eastern slopes of the Appalachians to a tropical storm, and said it could be the worst in the 15 years he's worked in Roanoke.
The Virginia Department of Transportation responded by alerting some employees not normally called up for snowplow duty to be on call, said spokeswoman Laura Bullock.
"Everyone says this is it," she said.
"Our concern is visibility . . . the blowing problem," Bullock said. "You have to slow down your operation." Windblown snow could make driving conditions hazardous not only for the average driver, but also for the snowplow drivers.
Snow began falling in the mountains and some higher elevations - Floyd and Franklin counties and the New River Valley - in the early afternoon, but the real brunt of the storm was not expected to hit until after midnight and during the day today.
Temperatures over the weekend were not expected to rise above freezing.
The storm's main ingredients were arctic air from Canada mixing with the subtropical water of the Gulf of Mexico in a deepening low pressure system over the western Gulf. It was moving east at 50 mph and was expected to cross the Florida Panhandle and barrel up the Eastern Seaboard on Friday night and today before pushing into the Canadian Maritimes on Sunday.
The enormous storm took aim for much of eastern North America, threatening blizzard conditions from Georgia to the Canadian Maritimes, and hurricane-force winds and flooding along vulnerable coastline.
The weather service said hurricane-force winds, waves to 25 feet and tides as much as 6 feet above normal would cause major flooding and severe beach erosion along the Atlantic Coast from the Carolinas north; gales and seas to 18 feet were forecast down to northern Florida and along the Gulf Coast.
The storm gathered on the anniversary of one of the worst storms on record in the East, the Blizzard of 1888, which dumped up to 5 feet of snow on March 12 and 13 of that year.
Earlier Friday, consumers in Western Virginia were out and about, stocking up on food, drink and other items, preparing for a weekend inside.
Some people had advice on how to make a blizzard bearable.
Roanoke's culinary clowns, Larry Bly and Laban Johnson, co-hosts of the public TV show "Cookin' Cheap," said being stuck inside is a wonderful time to practice cooking.
"People like to cook, especially on the weekends when they don't have to go out," Johnson said.
Each of the chefs recommended a snowed-in recipe for those adventurous enough to buck the traditional soup thing.
Bly's choice was "Fried Rice with Leftovers."
The rice doesn't have to be fresh; it can be a day old. Or, Bly said, pasta can be substituted for rice. The leftovers part is pretty self-explanatory, but if you don't have leftovers, almost any vegetables can be substituted.
The recipe goes something like this: Take any leftover meat and vegetables from around the house and cut them into small pieces. Put the veggies and some scrambled egg bits in hot peanut oil. Jiggle them around a lot and when they turn bright, add the meat. Keep jiggling. Finally, add some soy and hot sauce.
Johnson's recipe "Leftovers a la King" goes like this: Chop up some leftover turkey. Make a white sauce out of butter or margarine, milk, flour and some onion and celery for flavor. For color, Johnson suggests pimentos and mushrooms. Put the turkey in the sauce, serve over pasta and enjoy.
Or, Johnson suggests, bake it as a casserole, topped off with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
Johnson's theory is that people don't head to the store because they fear being trapped by snow, "but because they have the opportunity to cook."
And local grocery stores were hard-hit by shoppers trying to stock up before the snow.
Tony Caputo, the manager of the Kroger store on Williamson Road Northeast, said the store is always busy when there's a threat of snow. "People were stocking up on household food staples, like milk, bread, eggs, cereal and meat."
Along with food comes spirits, and ABC stores also were busy.
Donna Underwood, manager of the Williamson Road Northeast ABC store, said it was busier than usual, with some buying twice their usual amount of alcohol.
Likewise, Wayne Dickerson, manager of the ABC store at Crossroads Mall, said he was hard at work. "We're just like a grocery store; people decide to stock up in case they can't get here tomorrow."
Video stores also had more business than usual on Friday.
Mary Blankenship, an employee of Discount Video, said the shop was unusually busy because of the snow. She said most people were renting from three to six videos - more than usual. Some of the more popular choices were newly released thrillers including "Unlawful Entry", "Rapid Fire" and "Single White Female".
Likewise, Sunset Video manager Pat Bass said the store was packed with people anticipating the snow. Aside from renting movies, many of its customers stocked up on Super Nintendo video-game cartridges.
Many people also went to the library to stock up on good books. Librarian Susan Ewald, said the Roanoke Public Library, too, was busier than normal, with a wide variety of materials being checked out.
Undaunted by predictions of dire weather and warnings not to travel in the snow, some still made plans to have yard sales.
One of the bigger inside yard sales going on is sponsored by the Salvation Army. Major Dan Delany said that the bazaar, scheduled for this weekend at the Salvation Army building at 724 Dale Ave. S.E.
Delany echoed the sentiment of many would-be yard-salers: The sale has a little of everything, and, if you can get to the sale, there'll be one.
That's what Walter Bundy, owner of Buddy's in Blacksburg, also said. If you can get to Buddy's tonight, there'll be a local band, Fair Green, playing. Bundy is hoping for a big, fun-loving crowd to enjoy both the band and the snow.
If you must go outside today, be careful. The highway department urges motorists to stay off snow-covered roads. People can call (800) 367-ROAD to receive information on driving conditions across the state.
And if you have to shovel snow, do it in five- to 10-minute shifts and take frequent breaks.
Some information for this story provided by The Associated Press