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Blizzard of 1888
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Blizzard of 1888
The Blizzard of 1888 hit the northeastern United States with a fierce
intensity that etched itself into people's memories. An unrelenting fury
of heavy snows, bitter cold, and high winds pounded the region from
Washington, D.C., to the Canadian border in a storm that lasted for
three days in mid-March.
The storm took people by surprise, and many were unprepared for
the resulting isolation and destruction. Snow was measured in Connecticut
between twenty and fifty inches, but high winds caused snowdrifts up to
twenty feet in several areas. In one twenty-four hour period, thirty-one
inches of snow fell in New Haven with forty-five inches as the total by
the end of the storm. Railroad service was halted, businesses had to
shut down, and citizens of the state were imprisoned in their homes
while the storm raged. It took days for many to dig themselves out.
Over 400 people across the east coast died in the storm, and damage
was estimated at $20 million.
When the storms passed, SNET, just ten years old then, got to work
repairing lines and restoring telephone service. While no record has
survived of the impact of disruption around the state, it was estimated
that in New Haven alone over 25% of telephones were out of service.
The company learned much from this disaster, as it would from
disasters to come. They placed a heavier emphasis on sturdy construction
and developed the means to put cables underground. And they realized that
they had to prepare in advance for the possibility of disasters.
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