If one thing became clear this week, it was that Powell River was not prepared for the amount of snow that fell since the onslaught of what some residents are now jokingly referring to as Snow-maggedon or Snow-pocalypse 2017.
Of course, the amount of snowfall in the area is scoffed at by anyone living in most other parts of Canada (like the couple from Yellowknife who saw the “office closed” sign on the Peak office door and just laughed at us) but, still, the dangers of driving and even walking in snowy, icy conditions are quite real. After all, we have not had much practice at it.
With the high risk associated with travelling to and from work and school, it was a welcome feeling of peace for some when the realization set in that snow rules all, and everything else slows down. Sometimes the only thing that matters is a warm fire and enough food in the fridge to last until the roads clear.
Having said that, it was pleasing to see the annual Powell River Chamber of Commerce Business Awards went ahead as planned on Saturday, February 4. The event was very well attended, despite the snow. Members of the business community must have carpooled with whomever had the biggest truck as the event was still filled to capacity. (A full list of award winners will appear on the Scene Around Town page of this week’s Peak Weekender.)
But back to Snow-maggedon 2017. It was encouraging to hear reports of neighbours shovelling each other’s driveways, residents helping other residents with stuck vehicles and general acts of winter kindness, in the face of the closest Powell River has been to a complete whiteout in nearly a decade. It was enough to fill a whole issue of the Peak Weekender with Roses, and there were hardly any Raspberries to speak of.
Sure, snow plows were late out of the starting gate early in the morning of Friday, February 3, and School District 47 had a hard time deciding if its buses would run, or if schools would remain open on Monday, February 6, but it is not like city officials deal with this kind of weather all of the time. They did their best and that is all that anyone should expect.
Considering we have not had a snowfall like this since 2008, Powell River as a community did a great job of working to deal with it. We banded together and helped each other out, and sometimes that is all you can ask for; that, and a nice cup of hot chocolate.
Jason Schreurs, publisher/editor
