It's snow, people. It's not Armageddon!

Winter has officially arrived in the DC region, and this morning met with our first serious snowfall (actually, we got some light flurries yesterday morning, but not enough to be noticed). I saw a weather forecast last night that said we'd get 1-2 inches of the white stuff by this evening, and when I got up today, the only evidence I saw of such precipitation was a small dusting on the cover of the Riverhouse pool. It started snowing in more earnest as the morning went on, and traffic reports said it was icy up in Maryland, so I decided to brave the Red Line today rather than risk getting caught up in traffic on icy roads.

What really boggled my mind, though (as it does every winter), is seeing the long list of schools either delayed or closed because of an anticipated 1-2 inches of snow.

As a central PA native, where I've witnessed far worse snowfalls than what I've seen here, I can tell you for a fact that an inch of snow does not equal the apocalypse. Compare an inch of snowfall today to the winters of my sophomore and senior years in high school—when I seriously did not see the green of grass from November until March. That, my dear Washingtonians and non-local well-wishers, is a serious winter. That is a reason to close the schools for a full week. An inch of snow is not a reason to close all DC-area schools and send panicky people to the grocery stores for milk, bread, eggs, and toilet paper.

During a snowy President's Day weekend in 2003, I remember shoveling out my car in the parking lot of my Alexandria apartment building . . . and being the only person there using a shovel. Everyone else either used their bare (actually, gloved) hands or a dustpan and brush! I seriously wondered that day if I was the only person in that building who actually owned a shovel. And at the same time, it makes me wonder why this region doesn't have a better snow preparedness plan.

I realize that I live in a transient area, where people come from all over on their way to somewhere else, but what bothers me is the general lack of common sense from residents and local governments. Because common sense would suggest the following:

• Buy a shovel to dig out your car, as well as an ice scraper.
• If your sidewalks are icy, lay down some salt.
• If you plow a road, lay down some ash or gravel in your wake so that you have something firm to drive on. (I've often seen sand thrown down, but I find sand can still be slippery.)
• Put chains on school bus tires so buses can run and schools won't need to close.
• And last but not least, drive slowly and cautiously! You can't drive 65 mph on a snow-covered highway, no matter how late for work you are.

What I'm saying is, with a little bit of effort, snow can easily be mastered. Don't let it disrupt your life like it's a natural disaster.