Wolfforth Police vehicle pulling a stranded motorist out of the snow.
The same location the next day as snow was removed from the road.
Sometimes people don't know how good they have it; the third largest snowfall on record hit the Lubbock area the night of December 26, 2015, and no one was killed on the roads and almost no one went without electricity for any length of time. The official snowfall accumulation was 11.6 inches but, given the 40 - 60 mph winds, drifts of 4 - 10 feet were common. Initially the city was paralyzed; over 550 people were rescued from stranded cars and 40 Lubbock police cars were stuck in the snow. The US Army Reserves were mobilized to rescue people on rural roadways leading to town.
The Mayor of Lubbock declared a state of emergency and every first responder was mobilized to help. Because the storm was predicted, the Texas Department of Transportation sent over 45 vehicles from downstate, and they were here when the storm arrived. Within a day of the storm the main roadways were passable, although lesser roads, especially in residential areas, were not, except by 4WD pickup truck and SUVs.
Lubbock, a city of 240,000 people, has two snow plows to its name, and prior snowfall events were far worse in terms of damage and fatalities. This time around we have seen the finest example of planning and dedication from our road crews and first responders. It could have been worse, much worse, but for the response these men and women made. I will add to this that one Meteorologist at the local ABC affiliate TV station, Maggie Dinizio, knew what was coming and took her dog with her to the TV station and chose to be snowed-in for two days so that she could report on the weather situation as it happened.
As of tonight there is still a lot of grumbling going on from people who want their residential neighborhoods plowed, but the Mayor has decided that the neighborhoods will not be plowed. This is the right decision because the simple act of plowing will create 2-3 foot walls of snow at the end of each driveway; Lubbock is not arranged like the cities to the north that routinely experience heavy snowfall and residential plowing. To my neighbors who are frustrated that they can't drive their cars out of their neighborhoods I would say that it does not matter much; you will be free to drive in a day or so. We have many people to thank for the Herculean effort in helping us through this storm.
The other thing I witnessed was that stranded motorists did not have to wait long for help; almost everyone driving by stopped to render assistance. Even though I have a 4WD pickup truck I was stuck in the snow after trying to pull another vehicle out. It was not 5 minutes before two younger people in a much bigger truck came and pulled my truck free. In the process they blew out the main seal of their transmission and spewed transmission fluid all over the road, yet they would not accept payment for the damage. After my truck was free we were working to extricate the first truck that was stuck in a snowbank when the Wolfforth Police arrived and pulled that vehicle out of the snow with their 6-wheeled vehicle (photos above). That was yesterday, and the same Police vehicle was driving around town today looking for ways to help.
