By the time this column goes to publication, hopefully most, if not all, of what is left from this past week’s winter storm will be behind us.
Winter storm prep in the South is always interesting and is often the subject of jokes and mockery from people up north, as well as northern transplants who moved down here in part to get away from the frequency of snowstorms they went through in their previous residences.
Perhaps one of the most persistent jabs revolves around letting school out early at the first sign of a snowflake or canceling classes for the same reason. My philosophy on that is it’s better to be safe than sorry because, unlike up north, even though storm prep down south has much improved over the years, it’s still not on the level of New York or Maine.
Another one is “this ain’t nothin’!” which actually isn’t true when one considers that oftentimes, what we get here in the South is more slushy and freeze-prone than what you typically see up north. This winter storm was a classic example of that, where we saw more sleet and freezing rain (bad for roads, power lines and trees) and a lot less of the white fluffy stuff.
Still, storm prep among the citizenry down here can be fun, with people running to the stores well ahead of an anticipated winter event in hopes of beating the crowds. There are runs on milk, bread, water, toilet paper, diapers, batteries, etc., all the things one might need to have a little extra of if they can’t get out for a while.
There are even runs on lottery tickets, which I saw one woman do when I was out shopping for a bag of ice. I joked with her that it would be a story to tell if she managed to hit the jackpot in the middle of this storm.
On social media, there were the hilarious AI-generated images of snowplow trucks “salting” the roads with Bojangles seasoning, with people bundled up nearby eating their biscuits. Trust me when I say that is not far off the mark at all here.
We love us some Bo’s chicken, and I felt like I had won the lottery when I scored a tailgate box Saturday, hours before the storm hit. The line was wrapped around the store with people who presumably had the same idea I did.
What I was most pleased to see, however, amid my storm preparations, was that every time I went out, whether it was the grocery store, drug store, fast food, the gas station, etc., most people were just as nice as they could be.
There was very little grumpiness from fellow shoppers and store associates. In general, there just seemed to be this sense of togetherness, like everyone was keen on being calm and trying to keep things in perspective.
As of this writing, the storm is just getting started here in Charlotte, and we’ve done all the storm prep we can. In addition to stocking up on all essentials, I’ve put tarps out on the sidewalk that is closest to the front door and spread some ice melt the rest of the way in hopes it will make it easier to get the ice off once I’m able to.
Mom and I are worried about whether we’ll lose power, but the good news is that we’ve got tons of throw blankets, quilts, jackets and candles in the event that happens. Hopefully we won’t need them, though, because the thought of Mom shivering in her recliner doesn’t compute with me.
Here’s hoping everyone made it through the storm OK. And here’s praying that it’s the last one we’ll have to deal with this winter.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
