As we near the anniversary of the Blizzard of 1978, it seems ironic that school was cancelled in South County towns on Monday with a mere two inches of snow and clear roads at that.

Now we know school districts are being cautious in light of the traffic and busing disasters associated with the Dec. 13 storm but those problems were up north, not down here.  That storm, and decisions or lack thereof, by public officials resulted in Providence school children being stranded on buses – some for up to eight hours.

Nevertheless, THIS IS NEW ENGLAND. We are supposed to be able to deal with storms and snow. Aren’t we?

We hope every time there’s a forecast for a little snow, school isn’t cancelled. As you readers know, many times these predictions turn out to be false. In fact, many times they seem hyped up for the pure news value.

Yes, public officials need to learn from the December storm and especially have better communication with school buses and each other. There also needs to be a coordinated plan in place to prevent virtual parking lots on I-95, when workers leave early. But let’s not forget, THIS IS NEW ENGLAND.

We are supposed to be able to deal with snow. We think the problems related to the December storm had less to do with the amount of snow (though there were a few trucks that jackknifed) and more to do with the sheer number of cars on the road.  

Next time there’s two inches of snow and it rains the rest of the day, let’s send the students to school – even if school is delayed at least we won’t waste a perfectly good school day.

We know it’s difficult to make a decision the night before or at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m., and that safety if the primary concern, but let’s not be so overly cautious and lose sight of reality.

Now, if there is a forecast for another blizzard, that is another matter indeed. The tales from the Blizzard of 1978 are both heartwarming and downright scary. One young child in Massachusetts was found dead feet from his door by a mailman who found a mitten poking through the snow – days after the storm. There were 21 deaths associated with the storm in Rhode Island and many other tales of valor and endurance. The Hope Valley Fire Station put up several Massachusetts men who were stranded on I-95, for an entire week.

This week we start a series on some of those remembrances of the Blizzard of 1978. It may be a long time until we see 27.6 inches of snow any time soon.