Snow Preparedness

 

And it’s one of the snowiest places in America. Caribou, a town in The County—many Maine residents simply refer to Aroostook as “The County”—is among the top ten cities in the U.S. in average snowfall, at 116” a year; two winters ago, 197.8” of the white stuff piled up.

 

“Anytime in November is fair game” for first snowfall in Aroostook County, according to Andrew Plant, University of Maine Cooperative Extension educator. “We’ve seen times in October when we’ve got snow. Then, it can go through April; usually, it’s all melted by mid-April.”

 

So Plant, who has lived all of his 30 years in The County, says Extension doesn’t have to tell residents much about preparing for snow. “They’re fairly astute about what needs to happen,” he laughs. “A lot of our programming probably has to do more with cold temperature preparation, compared to snow removal.” (Caribou is also one of the coldest places in the lower 48, averaging just 39.2° F year-round.)

 

For the uninitiated, Plant is succinct: “Buy some boots, and a snowblower.” Or hire a custom snow remover; Aroostook County has plenty of them   Every town has a fleet of plows, as does the state, and they stay busy keeping the roads clear during the six month snowy season; Plant says they do a good job, but when 200” of snow hit two years ago, the piles on the sides of the roads were so large that “we did have some situations where only one vehicle could go through at a time.” In the country, he says, most residents will buy a fixed-blade plow they can attach to the front of a truck.

 

These can come with various features; some have remote controls that allow you to raise and lower the blade. Others offer hydraulics, and come in a variety of sizes; still others can be attached to a truck hitch, and used to push snow in reverse. Although you can install the blade at an angle to move the snow off to the side, some heavy-duty models are vee-shaped, allowing you to pile the snow on either side. When plowing deep snow, raise the blade a few inches on the first pass to shear off the top layer, and then make another pass; this prevents overloading your equipment. Before attaching a plow to your truck, though, consult the user’s manual, and make sure the manufacturer does not warn against installing a plow.

 

For work around the home or farmstead, you can purchase a snowblower. A single-stage, electric-powered snow blower can handle a light snow and smaller areas; a gas-powered model can clear a 6-8” snowfall from a large driveway. They use an auger to collect snow along the ground and should only be used on smooth surfaces. Two-stage blowers are for heavy-duty work; they have separate engines and can cost upwards of $2,000, but can clear gravel driveways and heavier accumulations. You may opt for a model with an electric starter; this can be a lot easier than trying to pull a lawnmower-like cord in the face of a blizzard!

 

If you decide to forego machinery for muscle power, make sure you’re up to shoveling snow. Start scooping as soon as the snow stops falling; the longer you wait, the heavier it can get. Take your time, and take frequent breaks; flex your knees, lift with your legs, and carry the snow to where you want to deposit it—flinging the snow can throw your back out.

 

You should also keep a supply of de-icer available to keep walks clear. In areas that don’t get as cold, some residents use sand or cat litter; if you choose a de-icer, rock salt is often favored—it’s cheap, and a little bit goes a long way. However, environmentalists frown on rock salt, which can run off and pollute rivers and streams; they prefer calcium chloride, the pelletized chemical that keeps ice from reforming in termperatures well below 0° F. Other alternatives are potassium chloride, which doesn’t work at extremely low temperatures but does less damage to plants, and magnesium chloride, which is both safer to fauna and effective in bitter cold, but can corrode metal.

 

You should also ensure your home is protected from the snow. In Aroostook County, Plant says roof caving is a concern almost every year. “You have to make sure you have adequate pitch to your roof to allow snow to blow or come off,” he says. “A lot of people that I’ve seen are moving towards metal roofs in the past ten years or so, just to aid in snow removal. A lot of households are armed with roof rakes, or the seasonal custom jobs that guys will offer as a service to clear roofs off.”

 

In addition, remove snow from around doors and basement window wells to keep water from seeping through when the thaw comes. And try to keep rain gutters from getting dammed by ice; that can allow the melting snow to seep through the roof.

 

Human protection is also a concern; in a snow emergency, people may not be able to leave the house for days. Aroostook County has agencies whose personnel will make periodic checks on the elderly, low-income housing residents and others. Plant says while there are a number of state government programs to help these people out, much of the aid is also provided by churches and non profits.

 

Another very snowy place is Onondaga County, New York; its county seat is Syracuse, which has the heaviest annual snowfall of any major U.S. city, 115.6”. David Marr, the county emergency preparedness educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension, says there are times when the accumulation can get burdensome. “If you have to go out and shovel the snow; depending on your age or your health condition, that can create many different health factors,” Marr says. “As well as the amount of snowfall on the trees…breaking limbs or branches, and they can create power outages by falling on the power lines.”

 

Onondaga has joined two other counties, Madison and Oswego, in launching what they’re calling the “Three-for-Three” emergency preparedness program, designed to help residents survive a major snowfall or other disaster for 72 hours with the help of a survival kit. Marr says, “Basically, we talk about the three essential items to survive in the event of an emergency or disaster, the basics—food, water and shelter…Part of this program is going out to teach communities or individuals, schools and business about how to put together a kit, and what items are necessary.”

 

Recommended items for the kit, which was developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, include: At least a three-day supply of water for every person or animal, stored tightly in clear plastic containers; non-perishable, energy-dense foods like protein bars, dried fruits, nuts and canned meats; a can opener and utensils; prescription medicines; and food for animals. Also, a first-aid kit; a change of clothing; blankets; dust masks; trash bags; a wrench or pliers, for turning valves; maps; and a whistle, to signal for help.

 

Communications devices are also important; Marr, an 18-year veteran of the Army and Army Reserves, recommends having on hand a battery- or crank-powered radio to monitor news bulletins. “In case you need to evacuate and go to a shelter, you can find out where the shelters are,” he says. “Or, they’re letting you know that you need to stay put and stay in your home during a storm, and to plan and prepare for that.”

 

A winter’s worth of snow doesn’t always lead to those conditions in Onondaga County, of course, but it can. Marr says an ice storm in 1998 stranded many residents of the northern reaches of the county, a major agricultural area, for several days. “They had to rely on some of the items they had in their homes,” he says. “That’s why it’s a good idea to have and create an emergency disaster kit in those times, when you have food, water, first aid items, and you’re able to sustain yourself for 72 hours until local authorities can get to you.”

 

Snow isn’t necessarily something to be feared, though; in Aroostook County, it’s a big part of the economy. Andrew Plant says, “To live up here, you have to be able to find something to do in winter.” Snowmobiling and other winter sports attract tourists from southern New England, as well as Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Plant says other Nordic sports have caught on; The County now has two facilities for biathlon, the sport that combines cross-country skiing with target shooting.

 

But not many people, he says, relocate to Aroostook permanently. “I think for them, it’s probably too slow paced,” Plant says. “It’s a good vacation spot for them to get away from the hustle and bustle, but it’s pretty opposite of city life.”