It was one of the worst winter storms to ever hit Northwest Ohio, resulting in numerous deaths, destruction and an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. Yet despite all of these trials, residents pulled together as a community to help out one another in a time of need.
Beginning on January 26th, 1978, with what seemed to
be unusually warm weather and rain, Ohio residents were caught unprepared when the weather quickly changed. Three major storm movements slammed into the region resulting in paralyzing snow and breathtaking (bone-chilling) winds
– all within 48 hours. By January 29th, temperatures
had dramatically dropped to 11 degrees, winds gusted
60-miles per hour and over 14-inches of
snow downed power lines and created drifts that made transportation near impossible.
People desperately did anything to stay warm. Houses accidentally caught on fire, furniture was burned and the desperate got creative in their attempts to survive. Whiteouts were common during the day and voices of loved ones were the only evidence of existence
throughout the dark night. With the lack of phone service
in many rural areas, residents had to rely purely on
CB radio for communication. Those who were stranded
in vehicles, trapped in unheated homes or caught outdoors were targets for a freezing death.
The Blizzard of ’78 presents eyewitness accounts from the people of Northwest Ohio who conquered (survived
or lived through) the storm. Chronicling this documentary through home movies, photographs and archival news footage, WBGU-PBS allows viewers to experience the blizzard once again and the heroism and horror that went with it.
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