This is a true story of what happened to our family during the blizzard of 1978 in Xenia, Ohio.
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The Blizzard
The winter of 1978 brought a most unusual winter storm . . . a blizzard! We lived in Xenia, Ohio then, which is about twenty-five miles from Dayton. Most of Ohio was affected by this dazzling but blinding deluge of snow.
Dan, my husband then, was working the night shift in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Our son, Doug, was nine; our daughter, Sherry was seven. The children and I didn’t mind being left alone at night. Dan slept when he came in, while the children were in school.
It was snowing whenever Dan left for work on that Tuesday night . . . which wasn’t unusual. However, overnight the snow became more profuse, falling heavier and heavier, layering up like a multi-tiered wedding cake.
Sometime during the night I woke up with a chill. Although there were numerous blankets and a quilt on the bed, it seemed to be getting colder inside the house.
I was born with congenital nerve deafness and had worn glasses since the age of thirteen but didn’t put my hearing-aid or glasses on when I got up. That is unusual but perhaps why I maintained my calm.
The house was indeed cooling down so I went to check the furnace in the hallway behind the laundry room. We didn’t have doors over the furnace room, just long heavy curtains. I pulled the curtains back, peered at the furnace and saw flames inside it. The pilot light was no longer a thin, reed of flame but pulsated like a full-bodied, bold Senorita dancing to entice the crowd.
Half-asleep, I assumed the furnace was working harder because the wind was howling, blowing down the shaft. When I touched the furnace, it vibrated, groaned and crackled like never before. A fire inside shorting out the wires was something I’d never encountered. I knew it was not normal but, when I looked outside and could see nothing but white, I assumed it was working overtime due to the weather. I padded back into the bedroom wing, checked the kids and crawled back in bed.
The next morning it was freezing! Doug woke me up. He was holding the telephone (which had an amplifier on it so I could use it). His dad called to tell us that he wouldn’t be able to come home from work, that the roads were all shut down, all the schools and most businesses were closed. In fact the Highway Patrol would arrest anyone trying to drive as there were cars buried in snowdrifts all over the place. Dan told us to look outside but to stay inside, that we’d had a blizzard overnight. It was a Wednesday morning.
I didn’t tell Dan that our house was freezing . . . wanted to check things out first. Both kids crawled into our Queen-sized waterbed to keep warm while I checked the thermostats. They were all off! I then went to check the furnace again, saw no pilot light and felt it--it was stone cold. I called the power company to see if they’d come out to light our pilot light having assumed that the wind whistling down the shaft had blown it out. They told me to call a furnace repair man as the fire I’d described sounded like there was more to it than a blown out pilot light. Then I called a furnace repair man who laughed when I asked when he could come take a look.
“Lady, no one is going anywhere today!” His voice was hearty. “You do know that we had a blizzard go through last night?”
“Yes,” I explained, “but my children and I have no heat. Our house is freezing.”
“Let me speak to your husband.” I’ve no idea why he requested that but I quickly explained that Dan was stuck at work. “Okay, lady, why don’t you go to a neighbors house?”
“Won’t our water pipes burst?” It was our first house, we’d painted for a down payment. I didn’t want to desert it.
“That’s possible. It’s already been happening all over town but you have to think of the kids first.” He sighed. “As soon as the Highway Patrol lifts the ‘no travel’ order, I’ll be out to take a look at that furnace.” There was a slight pause. “That may be a few days though so leave a note on the door where you’re at so I can find you when I can get through.”
I quickly dressed in multiple layers before trying to go outside. All the doors were frozen shut! There was no way out of the house!
The coffee maker was working, our electricity was fine, so I turned on the oven and put the door down. It gave out a little heat. We had plenty of sheets, blankets and quilts plus heavy sleeping bags which I brought in from the attached garage. Since we couldn’t get out and had no heat, I decided we’d play camping. The children and I dressed very warmly, donned our coats, hats and gloves, to report to camp in the family room. The children slid into the sleeping bags sprawled on the floor to watch television while I hung sheets and blankets to block off the kitchen and family room from the rest of the house. It was an adventure for all of us.
Yet the phone rang on and off all day with friends and neighbors calling to see if we needed anything. I told several about our lack of heat but explained that we were making do. Groceries weren’t a problem as we always bought a bit more than we needed.
I filled multiple pans with water, brought them to a boil, then placed them in front of the back and front doors. We needed to be able to use them. Once I got the front door unfrozen I went outside to shovel off the driveway and work on getting the garage door unstuck. Snowplow trucks were nowhere near our area that day--too many freeways were in need of clearing.
We lived in the first house on the right hand side of the second block of Cornwall Drive. The roads was so filled with snow that I could barely see any of the other houses around us and the intersection pile was taller than our house!
It was Friday morning, two days later, before the Highway Patrol allowed traffic to resume. The furnace repairman arrived just a few moments before Dan did. Both of the men were surprised that the children and I had remained in an unheated house; Dan, however, had not known about the furnace until he got home.
The children said it was the most fun they ever had camping--we’d roasted hot dogs and marshmallows (over candles), played games, watched television and not once did they have to take a bath!
After the repairman checked the furnace, he and Dan called me aside to ask about what I’d seen in the middle of the night. I told them about the flames being so high and the furnace so hot.
The repairman shook his head. “Lady, you haven’t had that furnace cleaned in years . . . dust and lint inside it were on fire. Actually what you saw was a furnace with an internal fire that was getting ready to blow up. It’s a miracle that it didn’t blow up in your face! Why didn’t you grab the children and run to a neighbors house?”
“In a white-out, in the middle of a blizzard, I should’ve run outside with my children?” I thought he was nuts! “I woke alarmed but, once I checked things out, I assumed God would watch over us because suddenly everything seemed okay.”
“Didn’t you have any trouble going back to sleep?” The huge fellow was puzzled.
“No,” I smiled. “I slept like a baby.”
The stranger kept shaking his head while repairing the furnace but stopped to talk to me on his way out. “Once the fire burned out, you weren’t in any danger but that furnace should’ve blown this place sky-high. In all my years I’ve never met anyone who stared in the face of danger and reacted as you did. Going out into a blizzard might not have been the smartest thing to do, but it’s what most people would’ve done. I haven’t decided yet if you’re that naive or that lucky but you handled everything better than most of us would.” He then exchanged glances with Dan. “You didn’t tell me that you’re nearly deaf.”
“Would it have made a difference? Would you have gotten here any sooner?” I shrugged thinking ‘why should I have?’ .
He thought momentarily before replying. “No, I guess not.” He left shaking his head but wearing an ear-to-ear smile.
With faith all things are possible!
I remember this blizzard, vividly - I've written a poem and an article about the "White Hurricane" - memorable in its intensity, ferocity and how long it took to dig out from under - well done, Sandy.
(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.
Now I live in Texas, where the only things we get is drought, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes - but no blizzards. LOL
GLIMPSE OF AN ANGEL IS NOW AVAILABLE. A PORTION OF ALL SALES WILL GO TO HOSPICE TO THUS ENABLE THEM TO HELP OTHERS WHO ARE SOON TO PASS TO THE OTHER SIDE. NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
In "A Touch of Your Presence" are words that would inspire, encourage and strengthen one's soul when faced with challenges and difficulties and to know the awesomeness of God's power.
The Blizzard
