09-12-2003, 01:16 PM
I wish I could say I survived "one" blizzard, but that wouldn't be true. I've been through three, so far, in Colorado and am anticipating a fourth this year. When the snow is up to the windows, I don't even think about trying to get out, but will wait it out. Although I did have to crawl out a window once to shovel the snow away from the front door, just to get out and inhale the crisp air (that lasted all of ten seconds).
Also four typoons, many tropical depressions and seven earthquakes.
Perhaps the meanest storm was in the Gulf of Alaska in 1968, heading home from Vietnam. A sailor ruptured his appendix and needed to be air-lifted to a base hospital soon, very soon, very very soon. The closest hospital was at an Alaska air base, so we changed course and headed right into the teeth of that storm. thirty ft waves, (the ship only had six ft of freeboard) wind blowing at 60 knots (96 MPH) and the wind chill close to 100 degrees below zero. The ice built up on the superstructure so we were "volunteered" to go topside with a length of pipe and knock it off. I sure didn't want to turn turtle, like the Posiden, and end up in the drink (survival time = about one minute). It was touch-and-go for a while but he was transferred to a helicopter and safely taken to the hospital. We turned tail and got the heck out of there. That was the first time, and last, I ever saw people come down into the engineroom just to lean up against a steam turbine for the heat.
I realize that we were all immigrates at one time in our family history, but enough is enough. America just doesn't have the resources to support any more free-loaders. Before anyone unloads on me for that statement, let me just say that I was in construction for 30+ years and have seen just what goes on, not newspaper accounts. It is disgusting. Enough said.
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Also four typoons, many tropical depressions and seven earthquakes.
Perhaps the meanest storm was in the Gulf of Alaska in 1968, heading home from Vietnam. A sailor ruptured his appendix and needed to be air-lifted to a base hospital soon, very soon, very very soon. The closest hospital was at an Alaska air base, so we changed course and headed right into the teeth of that storm. thirty ft waves, (the ship only had six ft of freeboard) wind blowing at 60 knots (96 MPH) and the wind chill close to 100 degrees below zero. The ice built up on the superstructure so we were "volunteered" to go topside with a length of pipe and knock it off. I sure didn't want to turn turtle, like the Posiden, and end up in the drink (survival time = about one minute). It was touch-and-go for a while but he was transferred to a helicopter and safely taken to the hospital. We turned tail and got the heck out of there. That was the first time, and last, I ever saw people come down into the engineroom just to lean up against a steam turbine for the heat.
I realize that we were all immigrates at one time in our family history, but enough is enough. America just doesn't have the resources to support any more free-loaders. Before anyone unloads on me for that statement, let me just say that I was in construction for 30+ years and have seen just what goes on, not newspaper accounts. It is disgusting. Enough said.
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