During the first weekend of 2017, much of the United States was hit by a winter storm that dropped snow and ice over portions of the U.S. from the Rocky Mountains across the plains to the East Coast. My home near Charlotte, NC, got about three-quarter and inch of ice with two inches of snow on top. The roads that were treated with brine were clear throughout, but the side streets and rural roads didn’t fare so well. And down here on the border between North and South Carolina there are a lot of untreated roads.
So, like pretty much everyone else, I visited the local grocery store to purchase some staples to get me through what was predicted to be a couple of days of being “snowed in.” Of course, I waited until the last minute and the grocery store was pretty much empty of both products and customers. There were lots of empty shelves and plenty of parking spots, and as the rain was literally turning to freezing rain, sleet, and snow, I paid for my stuff and hurried back home. And I wondered who will make the decision to close the store and let all the employees finally go home, and how dangerous a drive would some have in store for them.