January is only a week old and the Blizzard of 2018 is already in the books. It began Jan. 3 and continued nearly until dusk Jan. 4, piling up nearly a foot of snow driven by icy northwest winds.
In Rehoboth, even walking was treacherous; the wind-whipped snow was blinding, prompting those who ventured out to pull on goggles.
On the beach, where the water was warmer than the frigid air, sand, snow and waves combined to form a slurry, like quicksand, that would later freeze into ragged rocks of ice.
As the snow piled up on roads, sidewalks and parking lots Jan. 3, most businesses closed, a decision that kept many employees and customers off the roadways.
Schools and state, county and municipal offices also closed.
State officials declared a state of emergency, but Gov. John Carney did not impose driving restrictions until 4 p.m., Jan. 4, just as the storm was letting up in Sussex. By then, vehicles were strewn on town streets, backroads and even on highways, some abandoned as drivers fled the cold waiting for a tow - increasing the hazards for cars and pedestrians who followed.
Driving restrictions are a serious matter that can hit businesses - and their employees - hard. They cannot be imposed without good reason.
Still, with no restrictions in place during this storm, drivers assumed the roads would be passable. They ventured out, only to find main roads – notably Kings Highway in Lewes – still snow-covered. In Rehoboth, drivers slid off the roads into impassable intersections, where they remained stuck.
Especially in eastern Sussex, citizens should have been warned off the roads hours earlier, while the blinding snow was still falling, so as to leave roadways clear for emergency personnel and plows.
In this case, restrictions came far too late, after the worst danger had passed.
Then, when parking lots finally were cleared, some businesses plowed snow onto the shoulder, sometimes even blocking turn lanes. This practice, forcing some drivers to swerve into an unblocked lane, is dangerous and should draw fines.
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Editorials are considered and written by Cape Gazette Editorial Board members, including Publisher Chris Rausch, Editor Jen Ellingsworth, News Editor Nick Roth and reporters Ron MacArthur and Chris Flood.
