SEATTLE; HOME OF THE WEATHER VAGINAS
SEATTLE (AP) — Schools throughout greater Seattle closed Wednesday at
the mere threat of snow late in the day, a symptom of the city's deep
phobia of the white stuff and near-complete inability to deal with any
significant snowstorm.
Even though Seattle is the nation's northernmost
major city, snow is a rarity here, and the city is ill-equipped to
clear the streets of its hilly neighborhoods. Combine that with drivers
unaccustomed to driving on slick roads, and snow is a recipe for chaos.
School officials' caution dates back to a 1990 snowstorm that dumped
several inches of unexpected snow, paralyzing the city and forcing
1,200 children to spend the night in their classrooms. Since then, the
state's largest school district and its suburban neighbors close as a
precaution when snow threatens.
So the fear of snow pervades far beyond the schools. Metro, the Seattle
area's transit system, put tire chains on 80 percent of its 1,329-bus
fleet overnight. But after the chains kicked up sparks on bare pavement
during the morning commute, forcing drivers to go 35 mph or less to
avoid tearing up the roadways, the chains were removed, said Metro
spokeswoman Linda Thielke.
Elsewhere in the country's northern regions, cities
are often more blase about bad weather. In and around Chicago, students
routinely trudge through several inches of snow to school.
In Minneapolis, where snow is a way of life, the schools typically shrug off anything short of a blizzard.
"It would have to be something like 8 inches to a
foot before we consider it," said Craig Vana, executive director of
emergency management, safety and security for the Minneapolis School
District. The city's had more than 15 inches of snow this season, and
school hasn't been canceled yet.