A Snowy State of Emergency

So, it started snowing last night.
Really, really snowing (for this city, at least.)

By morning, downtown looked like this-

Train stop.

The city was shut down. Even if you had wanted to get somewhere, it was almost impossible to go there. We passed a hill where 4 city buses were stuck in a row. Drivers sat inside the buses, keeping warm and waiting for help. Your best travel bet = a pair of skis, a bike, or braving the streets on foot.

Today, the Governor of Oregon and the Mayor of Portland declared a state of emergency. According to this article, that move will help free up funds to clear the roads, shelter the homeless, and restore power in areas that lost it. Work crews were already out today, dealing with broken and snow-heavy branches. As for shelter, some people were still camped out on the sidewalk even today.

It has never snowed this much in the whole time we've lived here. The snow fell for almost 12 hours!

As the snow piled up last night, the streets emptied of cars. Lots of people came outside to make snowmen and let their dogs run through the streets.

We walked around for a long time. At this point, there were probably 5-6 inches of snow on the ground.

D rolled a snowball that grew so massive that it took 2 people to push. Other walkers started filming him as he heaved the giant snowball down the sidewalk :p Finally, he had to admit defeat.

By the time we woke up this morning, almost a foot of snow had fallen. That's not much in some parts of the world, but it's a crazy number here. No one was going anywhere.

D and I went back out for another walk.

Aside from the vehicles for the repair crews, the streets were deserted. We saw one driver: a guy in a Suburu- one hand on the wheel, one hand holding a coffee cup. His car was swerving on ice and he was shouting. With joy? With panic? Hard to say...

We started walking east. If there's any event going on, it's usually near the river. Jackpot! Bikers, skiers, runners, and random people with cameras were on the narrow icy path along the river.

There was no place for anyone to rest and almost all the shops were closed, so everyone kept moving. D and I walked about 9,000 steps in total!

The snow has stopped falling, but the state of emergency will continue until January 14th. The temperature will stay below freezing until then. Schools are canceled again on Thursday, and maybe on Friday too.

Does a foot of snow and freezing temperatures freak you out? Or does it sound like fun? ;)