Friday, February 1, 2013
Two years ago today, snow brought activity in Buffalo Grove to a halt.
Remember snow? You know, that white stuff that usually covers the ground this time of year? Two years ago today, a blizzard struck the area, shuttering Buffalo Grove schools and libraries. Meanwhile, the suburbs have seen only a couple of inches of snow in all this year. That total could soon be on the rise. According to the National Weather Service, there’s an 80 percent chance of snow Friday night, with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation possible. If you’re yearning for a glimpse of a real winter wonderland, take a look back at the photos that Buffalo Grove Patch readers shared from the 2011 blizzard. Are you hoping for a 2013 blizzard, or are you happy with this mild winter? Tell us in the comment section below.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Lake and Cook county towns eligible for federal aid to cover blizzard costs.
The Village of Buffalo Grove hopes to recoup about $100,000 in expenses that stemmed from this winter's blizzard. Buffalo Grove, like other Lake and Cook county towns, is eligible for federal disaster aid to cover the costs of the Blizzard of 2011, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced last week. Funding is “available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the snowstorm,” according to a FEMA release. Public Works Director Greg Boysen said the village spent about $135,000 on snow removal efforts during the blizzard. Nearly $105,000 of the cost was for streets in Lake County, he said. …
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Good thing I slept through most of my kids' snow day!
I’ve lived in Chicago since 1989 and have yet to experience such a pileup of snow. In the early '90s there were some extreme cold days where we were cautioned not to walk from our home or job to our car without gloves, hats and scarves or we’d get frostbite. I was so scared every day from that. In the late '90s I remember there being enough snow accumulation to build a tunnel for our then-toddler to crawl through. This recent blizzard, “snowmaggedon,” and double snow day was definitely a first for me as well as so many others. Let me share my snow day with you. I’m so glad I slept through most of it! I was abruptly woken up when my husband needed me to help him get the window open. I half whispered and half yelled because a) I couldn’t …
Two volunteers cleared snow near Prairie School over the weekend.
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
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Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Long Grove resident Dan deGrazia and his assistant Kyle deKruif spent their Sunday morning on Feb. 6 clearing sidewalks adjacent to District 96's Prairie School on Brandywyn Lane. The pair worked several hours to cut paths in the snow so that the elementary students and their parents would not have to walk in the street. deGrazia performed the same good deed for District 96 Prairie families in 1999.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
A terrific storm makes a literal winter wonderland.
I originally planned to discuss how Feb. 5 is World Nutella Day in today’s column. I would have probably told you the story about the first time I had Nutella, and possibly confessed to polishing off a container of the stuff in record time, but since we SNOW! were SNOW! hit SNOW! with snow, it seemed odd to not at least mention it. So. How about that storm, huh? I spent Tuesday night anxiously peering out the kitchen window while checking Facebook. One friend reported lightning in her area, while another posted about the howling wind she heard in her house. Meanwhile, I wondered exactly how long we’d be stuck in the house, as though it would turn into a modern-day version of The Long Winter and we wouldn’t be able to so much as step on to …
Friday, February 4, 2011
Final cleanup efforts are now underway.
Final road clean-up is underway today (Friday) in Buffalo Grove, where plows were deployed around the clock this week to remove about 20 inches of snow from village streets. “We’re pretty much finished with the emergency operations now,” Village Manager Dane Bragg said. “We’ve lived through the third largest snowstorm in the history of Chicago.” Today, crews will focus on removing large snow piles, clearing rights of way, and removing snow from sewers “so we don’t have any problems when the big melt begins,” Bragg said. Village Hall has received a high volume of phone calls this week from residents voicing concerns about snow removal. While there’s not much village staff could do about the snow that refilled homeowners’ driveways as …
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Students will have two consecutive snow days.
Students in Stevenson High School, District 214, District 96, District 102, District 21 District 103 and St. Mary School will have a second snow day on Thursday, when schools will remain closed. District 96 Superintendent Julie Schmidt said this afternoon that the decision was based on hazardous road conditions, predicted wind chill temperatures and the unavailability of buses. All after-school and evening programs have also been canceled. The Buffalo Grove Park District's preschool and Clubhouse programs will also be closed Thursday, spokesman Mike Terson said. Check back to Buffalo Grove Patch for news of additional school closings.
Village crews are working to clear the streets, while Lake County issues post-blizzard safety advice.
Village crews are working around the clock to remove snow from Buffalo Grove’s streets. Intersections along main roads and and the maintenance of single-passage lanes are the priority, the village announced Wednesday afternoon. Strong winds are expected to slow down snow removal, and many streets remain impassable, the village’s statement said. Both Lake and Cook counties have declared states of disaster. Curb-to-curb cleanup of streets will not be possible until after the winds have diminished, which will most likely be Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning, according to the village. Residents are urged to wait to remove all of the snow from their driveways until village crews have cleared the street, as driveways will likely be …
Many county roads are impassable, and more than 150 people have been rescued from stuck vehicles.
A state of disaster has been declared throughout Lake County, where officials are telling people to stay off the roads to prevent getting stuck in the snow for extended periods of time. According to an email alert issued this morning by county officials, the blizzard has made roads across the area impassable and motorists have been trapped in their vehicles or abandoned their cars on and along roads. When the alert was released at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, Lake County officials reported that more than 150 people had been rescued from stuck vehicles and taken to temporary shelters. “Areas that are of particular concern are Illinois 60 south of Peterson Road, Peterson Road from Illinois 83 to Illinois 60, and Green Bay Road north of Yorkhouse …
Residents captured these images and sent them to Buffalo Grove Patch.
The blizzard canceled school on Wednesday for Buffalo Grove students, shuttered the Indian Trails and Vernon Area libraries, and brought activity to a halt throughout Lake County’s forest preserve and government system. However, the snow isn’t getting in the way of many Buffalo Grove residents, who are venturing outdoors to shovel, play or just watch the white stuff accumulate. Some of the images they've captured are featured here. How will you remember this storm? Log in to Patch to post a comment below or upload your own blizzard photo to this story, or email your photos to cristel@patch.com.
BuffaloGrover
6:43 am on Thursday, March 24, 2011
I know there's only an inch on the ground this morning, but I feel like I need federal aid! Ugh!! more ›