Blizzard of ’77: An unbelievably true story from nature

They always say “nature is love” but when it blesses us with a curse in the form of earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards and more, we begin to ask questions.

Should we blame God when nature weeps, and ignore our destructive human nature?

The world has faced global warming in recent years. This crisis remains one of the greatest threats in history with an overwhelming impact on both current and future generations.

There is alarming evidence that important tipping points, leading to irreversible changes in major ecosystems and the planetary climate system, may already have been reached or passed, NOAA, an intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change Report says. 

Ecosystems as diverse as the Amazon rainforest and the Arctic tundra, for example, may be approaching thresholds of dramatic change through warming and drying.

Mountain glaciers are in alarming retreat and the downstream effects of reduced water supply in the driest months will have repercussions that transcend generations. Climate feedback systems and environmental cumulative effects are building across Earth systems demonstrating behaviors we cannot anticipate.

Niagara Closeup: Blizzard of ’77, a catastrophic event which occurred 40 years ago, is a story written by Laura Barton and published by a Canadian website Well and Tribune.

These are a few pictures from the publication on Niagara’s 28 January 1977 disaster.

Erno Rossi, author of White Death, pours over photos he’s been sent over the years from the Blizzard of ’77. He’s included many of them in his book about the storm and says he still has people sending him stories about the blizzard even now, 40 years later.

The original cutline reads, ‘Their snowmobile parked atop a snow drift which all but covers this bus, two men check out the vehicle on Tice Road near Effingham late yesterday. The bus had to be abandoned late Friday when it became stuck in drifts and the youngsters trudged to a nearby farmhouse. Many roads in the part of the Niagara Region remain plugged today and Standard staff photographer Mike Conley reported going heavy, even on main roads, while on his picture-taking foray yesterday.’

The original cutline reads, ‘ Once the storm is over, it’s time for youngsters to frolic in the snow and these six Thorold residents proved to be no exception. A snow drift piled 20 feet high can be the ideal place to bump, slide and climb. However, a drift like this one, located on a roadside, can prove dangerous is a youngster ends up sliding into the path of a car. So Niagara Regional Police were dispatched to warn the boys to play it safe. The drift at the corner of Sullivan Avenue and Collier Road.’

The original cutline reads, ”12′ snow drift in front yard of 46 Valley Road. Nelle Perossa on right starts digging her house is on the left. Note: This is not packed to the front door.’

car is buried at the corner of Roland Road and Centre Street in Pelham following the Blizzard of 1977.

An aerial shot of Fort Erie/ Crystal Beach following the Blizzard of 1977.

The original cutline reads, ‘In one of the hardest-hit areas, Crystal Beach homes are half-buried by snow.’ Photo taken by Les Slorach on Feb. 1, 1977.

The original cutline reads, ‘The signs on Highway 406 said this was the St. Davids Road exit atop the escarpment, but nothing was moving yesterday. The interchange on the southern outskirts of St. Catharines was plugged tight with 10-foot drifts and stick cars. Standard city editor Craig Swayze discovered this tie-up the hard way as he attempted the turn-off while returning from picture-taking session south of the city. It was still there this morning.’

 

The original cutline reads, ‘Looking down from Hwy. 58 toward Port Colborne. Over 50 vehicles stuck here at Regional Road #23.’

The original cutline reads, ‘A helicopter hovers over an abandoned pickup truck on Highway 58 south of Welland yesterday, checking the vehicle for occupants. Standard staff photographer Mike Conley managed to work his way into the southern section of the Niagara Peninsula by car to take the photos appearing on this page. With the clearing skies, planes and choppers swooped over the southern end of the Niagara Peninsula in a search for stranded survives of the weekend’s fierce storm.’

Taken on Cream Street, this photo shows an eight car pile-up on Jan. 29, 1977 during the aftermath of the Blizzard of 1977.

The original cutline reads, ‘Worst winter storm in memory turns Ridgeway into a study of blacks and white in aerial photo.’