Have you been wondering to yourself: What must it be like to live in the midst of the historic February 2019 snow-dump on the rural north Olympic Peninsula of Washington State? Please, let me fill you in.
For starters, our front yard is a swimming pool of snow and I haven't seen the bottom fence beam since February 8th:
That's when my husband and I officially got snowed-in our remote private property. We share a fence line with Department of Natural Resources land that connects to Olympic National Forest land, to give you an idea of the remote logistics. Due to the length of the driveway (over one-tenth of a mile) and us not having any major machinery to the move the snow, it's been a shoveling game for over a week:
But, since we have supplies, we aren't injured and aren't in serious need of anything, we haven't made it top priority to get out, especially since the local 'news' from neighbors was that the county roads are covered with snow and cars were in the ditches.
So there has been no major rush to get anywhere, which has worked well since my husband has spent numerous hours making sure the property buildings are holding up under the record-breaking weight by removing many feet and pounds of snow from the building roofs; and without any major problems or accidents -- knock on wood paneling.
Buyers on eBay have been very nice and patient too, as I have explained the situation to folks whose packages are not going anywhere; and even if I could get to the post office, I don't know how far mail is moving beyond my area.
While my husband and I have both lived through colder and longer Montana winters than this one record-breaking month in Washington State, we have never experienced this much snow so quickly in a region that is always under-prepared for snow, while at the same time receiving very little information from local authorities in a rural area.
For example, I invite anyone who has a Twitter account to click here and view how much information Clallam County has posted during the week of a snow storm that has left many without power at times, not to mention leaving people stranded on their properties with unmovable amounts of snow. I'm not speaking of my place, but of the majority 55-and-over demographic in the county, and people out here who have limited mobility and pressing needs in an emergency such as physical injuries and running out of prescription medications.
While Facebook is the preferred social media site in this region, there is no sound reason in 2019 for county agencies to segregate themselves to one social media platform, thereby forcing everyone else to use the platform, when more and more people are using multiple platforms now and not just Facebook.
As well, the official Clallam County website is always open and free for everyone to look at here, so you can see how much information is being put out to the public during a time of emergency in this region. It is staggering that in the year 2019, with so many communication tools online made for sharing information, the county doesn't provide more information to the public; I understand the explanation is usually due to budget cuts and/or staff not knowing how to use the tools.
But, beyond the lack of information, I discovered a more serious problem -- discriminatory slander -- while reading the February 12, 2019, Clallam County Sheriff's Office Report:
The image was made from the Sheriff's Office Report PDF and I added the red box around the slander for emphasis:
Note that the sheriff's office does not warn the public of anyone else who may take advantage of this emergent situation, except contractors who offer home repair services. So, if that isn't slander or discrimination or profiling, can somebody reading this please tell me what it is in the legal realm -- when a government agency singles out one group of people and infers that they intend to do something malicious?
After four years of living in this area, and seeing my husband's contracting business earn less and less, to the point that paying for the state license and bond to be a self-employed contractor in Clallam County is not worth it because the people here don't want to pay for the licensed services that they demand; it's no wonder that contractors don't get treated or paid well from the public in Clallam County -- because the public is being warned by local authorities not to trust home repair contractors.
Why isn't the sheriff's office warning the public about staying away from anyone asking for help in a snow storm? That's another way how people take advantage of an emergency situation too, by looking weak so that someone who is unsuspecting will help them. But for whatever reason the sheriff's office doesn't warn about that, only contractors who make a living by repairing homes in Clallam County.
I found the report on the main page of the official Clallam County website while trying to find current information about the road conditions, which resulted in me learning through the Clallam County Snow and Ice Removal Procedures PDF that there is no set pattern to snow removal, nor is there any way of being updated as to when roads will be cleared since the crews are unable to stay in contact.
So, that's what's really happening with the roads in Clallam County -- they are undermanned, under-serviced, and under-budget.
Since the information I want isn't being put online, I shared a lot of the Snow & Ice Removal Procedures PDF on my Twitter account so more people here and everywhere can find the information and learn what it's really like in Clallam County.
I also exercised my free speech by sending an email to Anne Chastain, the contact in the sheriff's office report, and gave her my unsolicited opinion of the discrimination in the report against contractors working to make a living in Clallam County at a time when locals are snowed-in and there's no information about what's going on, which is what the county should be focused on -- getting services running and making sure county roads are cleared for residents to use -- instead of slandering the local people who pay taxes that keep public employees fed.
To end on a happy note, we are staying fed, too, as I attempted a batch of over-sized oatmeal-raisin cookies the other day and the result was perfection, which makes up for the less-than-perfect predicament we are currently working through with a healthy sense of humor. Get the recipe here, and contact me here or leave a comment with your thoughts, if you think the sheriff's office is right to single-out contractors or wrong for doing it, or something else.
For starters, our front yard is a swimming pool of snow and I haven't seen the bottom fence beam since February 8th:
That's when my husband and I officially got snowed-in our remote private property. We share a fence line with Department of Natural Resources land that connects to Olympic National Forest land, to give you an idea of the remote logistics. Due to the length of the driveway (over one-tenth of a mile) and us not having any major machinery to the move the snow, it's been a shoveling game for over a week:
But, since we have supplies, we aren't injured and aren't in serious need of anything, we haven't made it top priority to get out, especially since the local 'news' from neighbors was that the county roads are covered with snow and cars were in the ditches.
So there has been no major rush to get anywhere, which has worked well since my husband has spent numerous hours making sure the property buildings are holding up under the record-breaking weight by removing many feet and pounds of snow from the building roofs; and without any major problems or accidents -- knock on wood paneling.
Buyers on eBay have been very nice and patient too, as I have explained the situation to folks whose packages are not going anywhere; and even if I could get to the post office, I don't know how far mail is moving beyond my area.
While my husband and I have both lived through colder and longer Montana winters than this one record-breaking month in Washington State, we have never experienced this much snow so quickly in a region that is always under-prepared for snow, while at the same time receiving very little information from local authorities in a rural area.
For example, I invite anyone who has a Twitter account to click here and view how much information Clallam County has posted during the week of a snow storm that has left many without power at times, not to mention leaving people stranded on their properties with unmovable amounts of snow. I'm not speaking of my place, but of the majority 55-and-over demographic in the county, and people out here who have limited mobility and pressing needs in an emergency such as physical injuries and running out of prescription medications.
While Facebook is the preferred social media site in this region, there is no sound reason in 2019 for county agencies to segregate themselves to one social media platform, thereby forcing everyone else to use the platform, when more and more people are using multiple platforms now and not just Facebook.
As well, the official Clallam County website is always open and free for everyone to look at here, so you can see how much information is being put out to the public during a time of emergency in this region. It is staggering that in the year 2019, with so many communication tools online made for sharing information, the county doesn't provide more information to the public; I understand the explanation is usually due to budget cuts and/or staff not knowing how to use the tools.
But, beyond the lack of information, I discovered a more serious problem -- discriminatory slander -- while reading the February 12, 2019, Clallam County Sheriff's Office Report:
The image was made from the Sheriff's Office Report PDF and I added the red box around the slander for emphasis:
We would like everyone to be aware that while storms and emergencies bring out the best in most people, it also brings out some who want to take advantage of the situation. You can visit the Washington State Labor and Industries site and verify if a contractor is licensed and bonded with the state. https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/ or click on the link on our website.
Note that the sheriff's office does not warn the public of anyone else who may take advantage of this emergent situation, except contractors who offer home repair services. So, if that isn't slander or discrimination or profiling, can somebody reading this please tell me what it is in the legal realm -- when a government agency singles out one group of people and infers that they intend to do something malicious?
After four years of living in this area, and seeing my husband's contracting business earn less and less, to the point that paying for the state license and bond to be a self-employed contractor in Clallam County is not worth it because the people here don't want to pay for the licensed services that they demand; it's no wonder that contractors don't get treated or paid well from the public in Clallam County -- because the public is being warned by local authorities not to trust home repair contractors.
Why isn't the sheriff's office warning the public about staying away from anyone asking for help in a snow storm? That's another way how people take advantage of an emergency situation too, by looking weak so that someone who is unsuspecting will help them. But for whatever reason the sheriff's office doesn't warn about that, only contractors who make a living by repairing homes in Clallam County.
I found the report on the main page of the official Clallam County website while trying to find current information about the road conditions, which resulted in me learning through the Clallam County Snow and Ice Removal Procedures PDF that there is no set pattern to snow removal, nor is there any way of being updated as to when roads will be cleared since the crews are unable to stay in contact.
So, that's what's really happening with the roads in Clallam County -- they are undermanned, under-serviced, and under-budget.
Since the information I want isn't being put online, I shared a lot of the Snow & Ice Removal Procedures PDF on my Twitter account so more people here and everywhere can find the information and learn what it's really like in Clallam County.
I also exercised my free speech by sending an email to Anne Chastain, the contact in the sheriff's office report, and gave her my unsolicited opinion of the discrimination in the report against contractors working to make a living in Clallam County at a time when locals are snowed-in and there's no information about what's going on, which is what the county should be focused on -- getting services running and making sure county roads are cleared for residents to use -- instead of slandering the local people who pay taxes that keep public employees fed.
To end on a happy note, we are staying fed, too, as I attempted a batch of over-sized oatmeal-raisin cookies the other day and the result was perfection, which makes up for the less-than-perfect predicament we are currently working through with a healthy sense of humor. Get the recipe here, and contact me here or leave a comment with your thoughts, if you think the sheriff's office is right to single-out contractors or wrong for doing it, or something else.
THANK YOU FOR READING
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