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Animallover4321 t1_j1uivxa wrote

I don’t understand how so many people got stranded on the road? It’s not like in ‘78 where they didn’t have accurate weather forecasts wasn’t this predicted?

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digitelle t1_j1ulgqi wrote

Everyone thought they had time to get where they are going.

I think the biggest issue are those who have employment. I highly doubt many jobs just let people go before the storm and likely many left during not realizing how bad it had got.

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Animallover4321 t1_j1um3im wrote

Jobs I can see it’s amazing how many bosses don’t give a shit. When I was a cashier my boss wanted me to come in when the roads were closed in case someone suddenly needed printer paper. Too bad we can’t hold corporations accountable.

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ThinkThankThonk t1_j1umgv0 wrote

I lived in Boston during the marathon bombing and they wanted me to come in to work during the lockdown/manhunt the day after. They do not give a shit.

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Animallover4321 t1_j1uodyl wrote

That seems like a safe time to be out. I remember that day I lived well outside of the lockdown area so mom and I decided to go out shopping the helicopters circling overhead made us realize we may have made a mistake.

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Lindsay_Laurent t1_j1unuij wrote

Well what else are you going to do that day? Might as well come to work!

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Hokuboku t1_j1usxw4 wrote

I knew people when I worked at Target who got stranded in the snow because corporate did not close down the stores due to the weather.

Its disgusting how some companies and bosses expect people in no matter what. And a lot of people are too scared of losing their jobs to say no

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Blossomie t1_j1wh943 wrote

A literal majority of the nation lives paycheck-to-paycheck. They’re not scared of losing the job, they’re scared of them and their families going hungry or homeless, which is very likely to happen if income is lost when you’re living on the razor’s edge between getting by and perishing.

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Hokuboku t1_j1wi4e1 wrote

Oh, I know but thank you for driving it home further. I came from that level of poverty. My dad losing his job lost us our house

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imsabbath84 t1_j1vs6yk wrote

> I highly doubt many jobs just let people go before the storm and likely many left during not realizing how bad it had got

yup. i work for a vendor and they told us to all be home by noon. i left my store at 11am and it took me an hour to get home, having zero visibility through the 2nd half of my drive. the stores themselves were staying open until 2pm, so all of those people were driving home in absolutely horrible conditions.

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owls_unite t1_j1vwq5z wrote

There was a pretty big snow storm in my neck of the woods in February of last year. One colleague, despite weather warnings, took the very last available bus. It took him two and a half hours to make it in, no way back home for two days ... and you bet everyone was told to look to him as an example of a dutiful worker bee.

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Stranger2306 t1_j1wbux4 wrote

I don't understand this. By Wednesday, I was glued to weather news and had stocked up on food to last the weekend. My mind boggles that people wanted to drive around in Friday.

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TechyDad t1_j1wajlj wrote

The good part about working from home: My boss can't tell me to travel on dangerous roads to get to work.

Of course, then there's the downside. Can't call in saying you'll be late because the roads are terrible. Unless my house's stairs are packed with snow (in which case I have a much bigger problem), I can get to work no matter how bad the weather.

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youmustthinkhighly t1_j1ulk50 wrote

Bad weather can turn into death weather fairly quick…. I think part of it is that even in the worst weather in buffalo people are driving and shopping… most modern cars can handle snow, and ice.. everyone has winter coat and life doesn’t stop in bad weather…. People in buffalo are used to it…

But stuff like your Jacket rated to 20 below now had to be rated to 70 below.. your car that handled the snow fine now has to be a tractor or lifted truck with snow chains and a plow to move two feet, your house that you could shovel yourself now requires tractors and dump trucks to remove the snow…

Your out shopping and it usually takes 45 mins to an hour to run your errands… well a normal winter day is now snow Armageddon while you were in the store…

It happens quickly.

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Sweet-Sale-7303 t1_j1ukm5y wrote

People dont like to listen. We had people stranded on the road where i am when we got 3 feet of snow.

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ChaluppaBatmanJr t1_j1wv1lv wrote

Can't help those that don't listen. Tired of this country's delusional obsession with "independence". People seem like they don't want to "listen" because it's a sign of compliance and heaven forbid you take your government's warning.

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ButterflyAttack t1_j1xyixt wrote

If it only put their own lives at risk I'd say that was their choice. But they are also risking the lives of people who might try to rescue them. And then there's the ones who take their kids on these crazy trips.

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WWDubz t1_j1ulw29 wrote

People being forced to work, and then die

Capitalism and shitty humans as bosses

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Spirited_Annual_9407 t1_j1v5yoe wrote

Not all people have the privilege to stay at home or they might not think that the situation could turn deadly. Let’s say you are driving and you get stuck or slip of the road, getting snowed in can happen suprisingly fast. If it is somebody who didn’t assess the strom to be deadly, it is likely they don’t have any helpful survival gear in the car either

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FatBottomPurls t1_j1va8x2 wrote

I couldn't see the street in front of my house for 36 hours. I really didn't expect that. Luckily we prepared and didnt have a reason to leave.

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SynthFrog t1_j1xxqav wrote

Some people are stupid and just don't listen. Every time there's a snow storm, you get some sarcastic jerks who go around saying, "Wow, it's like people in Buffalo never saw snow before," as people go out and try to get prepared. They think that just because we're used to snow around here, it can't present problems. So these people don't get prepared. They don't have food, or gas, or meds, and then decide they can handle the storm and get stuck.

Some people were still forced to go to work. I'm not talking about essential workers either. So imagine you have to go into work because (no can't take off and can't risk losing your job), so you go in. Now the weather gets crazy here. It changes pretty rapidly at times. Not only that, but 5 minutes away might be experiencing completely different weather than where you are currently. So you could be a work and the weather could be pretty okay there. You start heading home, and all of a sudden, there are high winds, a lot of snow, and low visibility.

Finally, there are people who get into medical emergencies or have family/friends who do. Also, people who had zero power and are freezing in their homes (my brother's place was 20°F all weekend). People may decide it's worth the risk to get to a medical facility, a shelter, or a hotel because their life (or a loved one's life) is in danger anyways if they stay where they are.

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Grouchy_Occasion2292 t1_j1vjmm3 wrote

They were probably homeless people who lived in their cars... I assume most deaths from being inside your car are actually not you being stranded but homeless people.

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