White Out
Are we done yet? I know I am. This month, there has been snow on the ground in 49 of our 50 states, seriously affecting our ability to conduct business, not to mention live a civilized existence. Most of the executive decisions I made over the past few weeks had little to do with business and everything to do with boots (should I wear rubber, suede or leather today?). Now begins the challenge of digging out of this mess.
To say that snow is the enemy of productivity is an understatement. And you don’t realize how important a routine is to the rhythm of life until catastrophic weather events come on the scene.
It makes you aware of how fragile things really are. So much for having control over our hair, let alone the universe.
The only consolation during these past few weeks has been that almost everybody is in the same boat.
In our regional area alone, an estimated 600,000 people were out of power. Some for six days or more.
Last Friday the Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed when 100 cars suddenly pinballed out of control on an ice slicked highway (speed restrictions lifted only hours earlier).
Even Campbell Soup’s was in the soup. You’d think their product would be flying off the shelves but bad weather closed several of their plants and hindered deliveries to stores.
The airline industry was literally grounded. Cancelled flights cost them $200 million in lost revenue.
In fact, in less than two months some 75,000 U.S. flights have been cancelled this year due to weather issues. It’s the worst blow to the airline industry since the entire U. S. airspace was shut down for the four days following the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Over 5 million passengers have been affected by the canceled flights; 42.8 million by the flight delays. Talk about a customer service nightmare.
And count your blessings if you weren’t counting on Valentine’s Day to make your sales goals.
The “bouquet bust” due to the storm’s impact is expected to shave at least 15% off the $2 billion dollars that was expected to be spent on flowers during the holiday.
Actress Mae West famously said, “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.”
Snow has a way of doing that to you.
A 22-year-old Connecticut man was arrested for entering a neighbor’s home and punching two teens in the face for knocking over his snowman.
The charge was assault and battery but maybe it should have been arrested development.
And Al Roker, the weatherman for theToday Show, got into it with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio for keeping schools open in a storm that dropped nearly a foot of snow on the city.
His weapon of choice: Twitter.
The Mayor defended the decision by saying that more snow fell in the city than had been predicted by the National Weather Service.
Al went nuts.
“How dare @NYCMayorsOffice @NYCSchools throw NWS under the school bus,” he wrote. “Forecast was on time and on the money.”
(Al takes home $1.5 million annually. He’s never wrong).
Apparently he knows quite a lot about politics, too, per this follow-up tweet:
“I knew this am @NYCMayorsOffice @NYCSchools would close schools. Talk about a bad prediction. Long range DiBlasio forecast: 1 term.”
Never mind that he spelled Hizzoner’s name wrong. Al is currently busy apologizing to the Mayor on all social circuits (while shoveling the pile of snow left outside his NYC home…).
As I write this blog it is snowing outside (again).
Far greater minds than mine have observed that “snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough.”
I plan to do that. Tomorrow I head south to Florida for a welcomed business trip.
Wish me luck getting out of Philadelphia.