Winter Blunderland

It's that time again; time for winter to officially introduce itself and get everyone acquainted with its quiet, dangerous beauty. It's also time for drivers to battle it out on the roadways, dealing with backups and icy roads.\nFlakes began floating into Bloomington at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and blanketed the ground in less than 10 minutes. Some students ducked their heads to avoid them, walking home quickly but carefully, with the occasional slip of a heel. Others tilted their pink-tinged noses and cheeks to the sky while trying to catch the ever-elusive snowflakes on their tongues. Still others watched the snow out of their car windows as they sat in traffic or an accident.\nSurprised at the sudden snowfall, Director of the Public Works Department John Freeman immediately took all of his men off of their current jobs and set them to work clearing the roads. He sent 24 trucks to dump salt and sand on the streets.\nWith an average of 10 to 12 plowable snow days a year, Public Works Assistant Director Penny Howard Myers said the city has been getting ready for such winter downfall for months. \n"We've been preparing for winter weather for a while now," Myers said. "We've been equipping our trucks with snowplows and been stocking up on salt, so we weren't caught off guard."\nTo prepare, the city has over 4,000 tons of salt and 8,000 tons of sand on hand, and will ask for an additional 2,000 tons of salt at the next Public Works Board meeting. \nThe size of the job can also be overwhelming for Bloomington, which receives an annual snowfall of over 40 inches. Overall, city snowplow operators drive over 2,100 miles in a snow emergency -- which is the same as the distance from here to Mexico. \n"It takes the city crews up to eight hours to clear each and every street," Myers said. "Sometimes they just haven't gotten to some of the streets yet."\nEven with short notice, Matt Stuebe, owner of Outdoor Improvements of Bloomington, a local snow removal service, said the clearing of the streets "turned out pretty well."\n"We were given about two hours notice," Stuebe said. "We didn't start plowing until about 4 p.m., which isn't bad."\nDue to the snow covered roads, accident reports plagued both the Bloomington Police Department and the Indiana State Police. ISP Trooper Eric Russell reported an influx of road troubles as a result of the snowy conditions.\n"We've worked a lot of slide offs and minor accidents on county roads and state roads," Russell said. "We called out extra officers to handle it. The response times were slowed down due to rush hour traffic and of course the weather." \nRussell said some automobile accidents clogged up the streets, causing many potential pileups.\n"On Clubhouse Road by the Cascade Golf Course and the Buddhist Temple, there were several cars stuck on the hill," Russell said. "When we got there we discovered cars were stuck off the side of the road. People were reporting it as a pileup, but it wasn't at all. We just put some salt and sand on the road, and it was alright."\nDriving was not the only transportation problem. Many who tried to bundle up and trek through snow found it increasingly difficult.\n"I fell down about ten times walking to class," freshman Joseph Clevenger said.\nDespite the hazards, junior Liam Eleio said he was thrilled about the weather and wished he had his car because the slick streets are what make driving "fun and interesting." He said the inches that fell were mere child's play since he transferred here from Maine.\nFreshman Darcy Stalder packed a snowball between her black gloves as Eleio carried on. \n"You guys need to learn how to drive," he advised, in reference to the pileup. \nAt this, Stalder fired her snowball at his thin fleece, then grinned and continued to hop back and forth to keep warm. \nThis is not just the first snow for Bloomington this year. For many students, this is their first time encountering this form of weather ever. \nOne such former snowflake virgin, freshman Steven Nah, a native of Singapore, said the frosty feel of Bloomington is "refreshing" compared to his humid homeland.\n"It's awesome," Nah said. "I look forward to playing in the snow. It's a very lovely sight."\nWith such a contrast between here and his previous residence, Nah said the flakey buildup made him miss his Pacific Ocean home. \n"One thing the snow aroused in me, it made me appreciate the weather back home more," Nah said. "It's usually around 70 (degrees) there. I consider myself a warm weather person."\nDespite his tropical tastes, Nah said he enjoyed the change of pace. He said he just needed "time to get used to the weather," and he will have it. \nAccording the The Associated Press, temperature highs Thursday will be in the middle 20s while flurries will continue throughout the weekend. \nBut the novelty's gone for sophomore Elliot McCullogh, who was "not a fan of cold weather" and waited for the bus in a sweatshirt because he hadn't checked the forecast when he left for class at 7:30 a.m.\n"I like to see it snow in the month of December and during Christmas time," McCullogh said. "After that, it gets real old, real quick"