Remembering the October Surprise, 16 years later (10-12-22)

 I found the journal entry I made on 10/22/06, ten days after the storm. Why so long after, well the power was out for a week and I had to transcribe my sloppy handwriting which is probably good to tack on a day or two, lol. Here is my blog about my experience with the storm:

"The following account was taken from my written journal that I rarely ever use, but felt compelled to do so at this time following the aftermath of the worst pre-Winter storm in the history of Buffalo.

 

Day 1:  Thursday October 12, 2006

 

It started off as any other day… running late, looking for clean socks, skipping breakfast and wondering when I’d do laundry again. I heard a forecast that called for a 20 degree drop in the temperature. Yesterday it was rainy but it was 65 degrees. Today it seemed that the temperature barely broke 40. Welcome to October in Buffalo. Much is made about wintertime in Buffalo by many. I’m sure people around the country think it snows for 6 months straight so we just sit around depressed, eat chicken wings and drink imported beer from right over the border.

 

Well, to be honest some of that is true, but while there’s a little validity in that there are far more interesting aspects of “winter” around here. They are called fall and spring. You see during October and April the weather is at its most unpredictable. On a day in October it’s 65 one day and 40 the next and in April the same is true except maybe the other way around. CRACK! There it is again. It seems like the loud cracking, popping, gunshot like sounds are getting closer and occurring more frequently. Where was I? Ah yes the changes in the weather. In October and April the weather fluctuates so much that sometimes the extent of the changes eludes even the local weather experts with their radars, all their weather knowledge and Doppler 3000s.

 

Today the forecast was for rain possibly turning into wet snow by nightfall. Then as the afternoon progressed I heard a forecast for 4-6 inches of wet snow. It’s funny how 8 hours later the forecast changes. When I was a kid and I used to watch the news and weather I was amazed at the accuracy of the weatherman. I figured by the time I was an adult they’d know the weather for at least a whole month. Getting back to the original forecast of today, the drop from 65 to 40-something would surely have people digging in their closets and I was no exception. Although running late I still had to take a few moments to grab my winter jacket out of hiding. It’s grey with a black stripe. Although I did not miss what it represents, I did miss the comfort the jacket provides. CRACK! I took 20 seconds to dust it off and I threw it on while going out the door to work. Outside the air was definitely chilled. What a difference 24 hours makes. At the same time the day before I was running out the door to work wearing nothing but a short sleeve shirt and shorts and now I’m wearing pants and digging for my warm winter coat.

 

Around 3pm some of the employees at work went outside for a smoke and some chatter. Upon coming back inside I could hear them sounding surprised and in a bit of awe. I wandered over to see what was so compelling to grab their attention. I found myself walking outside a few seconds later into a heavy snow. WOW! It was the first snow of the year. The flakes were big and thick. It was a wet heavy snow that when you get an inch or two can make great snowballs. I took a quick picture of the first snowfall; it’s my desktop at work now.

 

By 5pm there were a few inches on the ground. Buffalo was turning into a gigantic slurpie. The slushy wet snow was piling up and everything outside had a white coating. As much as I enjoy the first snow, I was starting to think Mother Nature had made her point. I was starting to think about having to walk home 3 blocks in 4 or 5 inches of wet snow in my sneakers. But on the other hand I needed a few more hours at work for the week, so I was working late when my housemate surprisingly showed up. BOOM! If the cracking and popping wasn’t bad enough, now there’s the intensely close booming of thunder maybe a second behind the lightning. The storm is right on top of me.

 

My housemate showed up and said we lost power at the house. Five minutes before he arrived, my internet at work went out so when he suggested we grab a bite to eat for the short term I didn’t have any objections. As we drove down to a restaurant in Allentown we could see the snow was really piling up in such a short period of time. The thing that was most noticeable were the trees. All of the trees still had their leaves on them and in many cases the leaves were still green. Over a month or so in October and November the leaves around here begin to change colors from a deep green to a dead yellow/brown with many pretty colors in between and then fall to the ground. Heavy snow on barren trees in November and after ain’t no thing. But heavy snow on the current tree situation was a problem. We could see many branches bending and buckling underneath the wet of the heavy wet snow.

 

After we grabbed a bite we returned home to find that power was not restored. I ran upstairs to grab my digital camera and we figured we’d drive around and check out this unusual storm in the neighborhoods nearby. I thought I’d take some pictures of these lovely trees in the unnatural shapes and positions the weather was forcing upon them.

 

My housemate left to the burbs to go somewhere not so dark and cold so now I find myself alone in the dark with no internet, no television, nothing to keep my imagination and my fears at bay. CRACK! That one was right outside my window. I’m sitting in my dark bedroom listening to the wet snow take its toll on all the trees in the neighborhood. I hear the winds whipping around and aiding the snow in undressing the trees. Then to top it all off is the frequent thunder and lightning to add an extra eerie feeling to this storm. Something tells me that the power may be off for a few days because this must be happening all over. I’m laying here trying to get myself to sleep but startled every single minute by branches snapping off of the trees and falling to the ground. Since I couldn’t sleep I decided to pick up this pen and begin writing about it. I have a battery powered lantern I use on camping trips as my dim light to write by and a small army of pens scattered throughout my room. I wonder what supplies I’ll need if this turns out pretty bad. Perhaps it’s time to make a list of those things. Hopefully work will have power tomorrow because freezing here in the dark really sucks for lack of a better word.    Ed- 12:44 am

 

Day 2:  Friday October 13

 

I awoke a few minutes after 7. Despite having no power, I didn’t need an alarm. The bitter coldness of my room was all the alarm I needed. I took a quick peek outside my bedroom window to find that every tree I could see was damaged. Every single one of them were missing branches, and some where missing large chunks. It was so cold. The oncoming daylight only showed me the result of the storm and actually made me feel worse. It snowed a ton. In all the Octobers I’ve spent in Buffalo, I’ve never experienced anything like this.

 

I found my way to the shower and at least there was still hot water. But even the steamy shower could not warm the bathroom completely. I took a very quick shower, threw on my clothes even quicker and headed out to work. I thought I should bring my camera with me once again. When I arrived on the front porch my eyes could not believe what they saw. It looked like a snowacane had hit the street. There was 2 feet of snow on the ground and pieces of trees were everywhere. There were large branches draped over cars, on people’s porches, all over the street. I’d never seen anything like it. Suddenly I wished I had bought new boots for the winter. I had been putting it off for a few more weeks because it never snows much in October. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say never. So I had to walk 3 blocks in 2 feet of snow in my hi-top sneakers.

 

The only visible ground was the slits in the middle of the street where a few brave souls decided to drive at some point that morning. I walked along the tire marks slipping and sliding all around. When I made 2 blocks up to Main Street, I noticed the streetlight was out. I looked in each direction down Main and it looked like other streetlights were out as well. This wasn’t good. I made my way 1 block up Main Street to my workplace. Since Main is a far busier street than the other two I walked on, the street was almost bare… well at least a single car’s width on either side of the street. I walked up the street a little bit then a car would come and I would have to move into the deep snow and stand there until the car or cars passed. It took me almost 10 minutes to make it that one block. When I arrived at work the parking lot was not plowed. There weren’t even tracks anywhere in the lot. I slowly walked through the high snow to the door. I looked in the window, the time clock was out. There was no power.

 

I walked home a little dejected. I had plenty of sick and vacation time to cover any extended periods out of work so I wasn’t worried about any hours lost. But it was Friday morning and I was so very looking forward to the weekend. I love weekends. Weekends are my time. I can do anything I want. For someone like me with my rebellious spirit and distain for wasting my time doing things for ungrateful people, when I control my time, it’s a wonderful thing. I may take my 6-7 hours after work each weekday and do absolutely nothing but play on my computer and watch television, but that’s my choice. I can’t stand to have my hand forced. I can’t stand to lose all control. The weekend is the pinnacle. I have from Friday night to Sunday night to do anything I wish with. Whether it’s nothing or a full itinerary if I make that choice, I am happy.

 

On the way home from work about 7 or more hours ahead of schedule I tripped and stumbled through the snow, even falling completely into it one time. After arriving back home and collecting myself I took a quick trip to the store a few blocks away. Thankfully it was open. I needed food. I needed supplies. All the food in my fridge was almost gone and despite having a freezer full of food, I had no power to cook the meat, chicken, vegetables, fish and French bread pizza. At the Rite Aid pharmacy store supplies were low. Many ready to eat foods were gone. For instance they didn’t have a single bag of potato chips. They hardly had any water or soda pop. The candles were all gone and the only batteries they had were the most expensive kind. I bit the bullet, bought the pricey batteries, a little bit of candy and made my way back home through the carnage and snow. I took pictures of my neighborhood and the conditions right outside my house before I went inside.  Ed- 9:59 am 

 

Still Day 2: 

Originally the people in the know thought power would be out for a few days, but now some indications are that we will be powerless for a week! I feel so sick right now too. Perhaps sleeping in my icy tomb of a bedroom last night has made me ill. As I spend another night here in the dark I have my crappy old walkman to listen to the newsradio or music on and the sound of the cold rain tapping at my window. My head is killing me from this sudden cold and my nose is running like a leaky pipe. In this darkness I can no longer tell where my room ends and the night begins. Ed-11:44pm

 

Day 3: Saturday, October 14, 2006

 

The damage is extensive and expensive. Many surrounding suburbs were devastated like Buffalo. It has been confirmed that some areas would not have power for a week or more. I could be in the dark for another 6 or 7 days. My health is not good. I feel weak and sick. If all of this crap wasn’t hard enough to go through I have to be sick during it too. Thankfully my housemate came back from the burbs and whisked me out of dodge with promises of a fireplace and internet. It wouldn’t have even taken that much.

 

I’m writing this now in the evening. I am at a house in Amherst which is a nice suburb of Buffalo. They had a very warm fireplace and a generator to boot. We huddled around the fire and listened to the hockey game on the radio. The Buffalo Sabres are playing tonight at the arena in downtown Buffalo and surprisingly they have power. It was perhaps more surprising that they were playing in front of a near capacity crowd. I’d bet it’s good for the people there to get away from their cold powerless lives for a few hours and go to an exciting hockey game. The Sabres did not disappoint and clobbered New York. Towards the end of the game the power came on at this house I was staying at and we watched the end of it. My housemate and I ran up to the University of Buffalo’s north campus, also in Amherst, and found a few computer terminals that were operational. 48 hours without the net and I was going through withdrawal, although that wasn’t nearly as bad as my cold and constant runny nose. I had to check my email and just surf for a little bit. Things could be worse I guess   Ed- 11:57pm

 

Day 4: Sunday, October 15

 

After waking up in a warm bed in a warm house (so warm in fact that I had to sleep without covers) I felt a little bit better. My nose was still running like a facet but my headaches and sinus pressure had lessened a little bit. Staying at my housemate’s father’s girlfriend’s house was just what I needed. A few home cooked meals and some warmth really did the trick. I returned back to the city to my mother’s house where I watched the football game and then headed home after some more warm food. The city was beginning to wake up from its forced slumber but there was still a huge portion of it without power, including me.  Ed- 6:19pm

 

Day 5- Monday, October 16

 

It was the beginning of the work week. Once again I rose at dawn but things were looking better. Sometime Sunday night it dawned on me I had a very comfy sleeping bag in my closet. It was a sleeping bag that was tested up to 20 degrees. That means if it were 25 degrees and you were inside that bag, you’d still be okay, warm enough. I dug that out Sunday night and jumped into that thingy with my comforter and Sabres blanket on top of it. Boy oh boy was that nice under there. My legs felt so warm that I actually took off my slippers, 2 pairs of socks and jogging pants I had been sleeping in since the first night. I actually slipped in there with only a t-shirt and my boxer briefs. Between the sleeping bag and my personal CD player, the dark nights without power were getting just a little better. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t peaches and gravy. It was still incredibly frustrating to spend nearly 12 hours a day in total darkness. My imagination was working overtime. I stayed in one place, my room because it was slightly warmer in there than in any room in the house but spending so much time alone in my room has me talking to the shadows. They act like they don’t hear me but I know they do.   Ed- 8:11pm

 

Day 6- Tuesday, October 17

 

I think the shadows are talking to me now. I act like I don’t hear them but they know I do. It’s a pointless game. Seriously, I would be going really batty if it wasn’t for work. Since Monday I’ve been working but not at the comfort of my desk. I’ve been at a cubicle across town in South Buffalo where power and internet are present. If we didn’t have this option, we’d have to cancel hundreds of orders and our business really can’t afford that so finding an alternate method to do business, even if we have to drive 25 minutes each time back and forth between a building across town and our cold lifeless warehouse/office is necessary. The prognosis from the power’s that be are that everyone will have power restored by Sunday. When everything went down almost 400,000 people were without power. Every day the number dwindles. I think today it was 120,000 or something like that when I left in the morning for work. With the possibility of power coming on at any minute, I remain very optimistic. What will I do when it comes back on? I will sit down in front of my computer and television (they’re right next to each other) with some food and just relax. I will also be able to do this in my shorts and a t-shirt because the heat should be back on when the power returns. What can I say, I’m a simple guy. I don’t need much. I like intimacy, quiet, simplicity and things people take for granted. Anyway, I hope that day is soon. In the meantime I took a few pictures of myself hiding in my warm sleeping bag and a few other shots of my immediate surroundings.

 

Day 7- Wednesday, October 18

 

I grow tired of writing. When I was a kid I used to write about a million things. I’d draw pictures, copy sports statistics from the paper, write little stories, write poems, write gibberish, write thoughts, etc. Since I’ve been introduced to computers some time ago and learned how to type, I want to type everything. I hate repeating myself and with my soft voice I do enough of that in conversation. When I write things out and then want to copy them to my computer it’s basically saying the same thing twice. That’s not efficient. Anyway, I have a basketball game tonight and it is still on. A friend of mine wants to drag me out to Indian buffet before the game. I know what you’re thinking… an Indian buffet and then play basketball? I’m a professional folks, don’t try this at home. The truth is I won’t eat too much. I just want to go out and have a warm meal.   Ed- 4:45pm

 

Upon returning from the basketball game (we won 65-63), I came home to a dimly lit front porch, but lit nonetheless. I ran upstairs and walked into a suddenly heated apartment. It was all over. I finally had my life back. I have no regrets about any of it. I have a greater appreciation of many things now. I’m a little more equipped to handle adversity like this in the future. Furthermore, who cares about the past… right now, everything is fine."