Back in 2005 Raleigh had less than 1 inch of snow that brought the entire city to a halt. Total gridlock. Here is what someone put on his firefighting blog about the situation:
Surprise snowfall sends fire units scrambling to multiple medical calls, vehicle accidents, and single-engine response fire alarms. Though only about an inch accumulates in the Capital City, melting snow on the roadways soon refreezes due to the low temperatures. Early-closing schools and businesses soon clog the slick streets with a record number of cars and buses. The resulting congestion stalls traffic and slows emergency responses on both major thoroughfares and popular cross streets. Gridlock also hampers the efforts of crews clearing snow and applying sand. Tire chains are ordered onto fire apparatus about 2:30 p.m. Gridlock persists on major roads into the early evening and increasingly poor road conditions affect response times to some incidents. Dozens of abandoned cars litter roadways and firefighters assist some stranded motorists with finding shelter. Routine commutes take as long as ten hours for some drivers. Multiple-vehicle accidents occur throughout the afternoon, though no serious injuries are reported. The Raleigh Police Department responds to 422 vehicle accidents between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., with another 60 reported accidents pending. By midnight, officers are taking information over the phone for minor wrecks. Units also respond to a working apartment fire at 1209 Holman Street around 8 p.m. Car 72 and Truck 1 are first on scene and report fire showing from a second floor window. Engine 1, Engine 13, Engine 2, Rescue 7, Battalion 3, and SR 5 also respond. Both the room and its contents are destroyed. By 10 p.m., approximately 350 school buses are still on the road. Another 3,000 children around the county re being sheltered at 56 schools for the night. Major arteries including both the Beltline and New Bern Avenue remain stalled into the late evening. By 11 p.m., Governor Mike Easley has declared a state of emergency for Wake County, allowing state government buildings to be opened as shelters. Other motorists sleep overnight in their cars. The fire department answers 152 calls between 0800 hours Wednesday and 0800 hours Thursday, nearly a 50% increase over the average volume of 82 calls per day. [WE] (January 19, 2005)
ONLY IN RALEIGH NC!!!!! Glad I had the flu that day.
