Statewide Travel Ban Lifted and More Nemo Snowstorm Photos

We got plowed out in Amherst, Massachusetts so I went for a walk in our neighborhood and saw more neighbors outside shoveling with children playing than I have seen out in a long time. The sun has come out and Governor Deval Patrick has lifted the travel ban in Massachusetts as of 4PM today.   
This was a 24 hour travel ban.


The UMass Amherst men's basketball game is still on (moved to 7PM as I had written in my earlier post) but it will not be televised on ESPN2 but will be streamed on ESPN3 instead.

Relatives in eastern MA and Rhode Island are still without power and it will be frigid tonight.

I took the photos below in our neighborhood a short while ago.

Blizzard Nemo Shuts Down Mail Service to 6 New England States and More

We are now seeing what Blizzard Nemo has wrought:  havoc, with power out to hundreds of thousands,  including the Plymouth nuclear power plant, which was shut down, travel on roads in Massachusetts still banned by the governor, except for emergency vehicles and news services, businesses and schools closed (from UMass to MIT and more).

And, mail is suspended for all 6 New England states today.

Special thanks to all the emergency crews and the crews who are trying to get our roads to be passable again as well as to the electric power crews who are working on restoring electricity.

Amazingly, the UMass Amherst men's basketball game is still to take place but the time has been moved from 2PM to 7PM. The game is being nationally televised by ESPN2 but you might have to snowshoe there (I am very tempted to hike to support the players and their great coach, Derek Kellogg,  who lives close to us).

From the UMass Amherst homepage on Saturday, February 9, 2013:

ALERT: The University of Massachusetts Amherst campus is closed until 12 noon today, Saturday, Feb. 9 (and closed yesterday at noon).

BUS SERVICE: There will be no bus service today, Saturday, Feb. 9.

UHS: Walk-in clinic is open for usual weekend hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

TRAVEL BAN: Due to the snowstorm, Massachusetts is currently under a state of emergency and use of all non-essential vehicles is banned. As a result, anyone with tickets for the men's basketball game vs. Saint Joseph's in the Mullins Center on Saturday cannot drive to the game. If the driving ban is lifted before the 7 p.m. game, conditions may still remain hazardous and snow-removal efforts will be slowed by substantial traffic. Tickets for this game may be exchanged for a future contest.


The winds are still howling and we took the photos below of the periphery of our home this morning.

The photo below was taken of our backyard on Thursday, just as the dire forecasts for nemo were reaching a crescendo. What a difference the blizzard has made. It has brought most economic and other activities to a standstill. And with over 5,000 flights cancelled since Thursday the disruptions are major.