Parts of Vermont tallied 16 inches of snow Thursday night into Friday, with the worst of the snow for the Burlington area wrapping up in the afternoon — leaving a lot of cleaning up to do.
Chris Peacock was helping his Burlington neighbors, including several elderly residents, clean their driveways. Residents of his street in the city’s New North End told NECN & NBC10 Boston that Peacock gets up early to help neighbors through each and every significant winter storm.
"He’s really awesome," neighbor Liisa Reimann said of Peacock. "It’s so great to be in such a little tight community."
When asked if one day he expects another neighbor to return the favor, Peacock chuckled.
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"I am going to get old and decrepit — there’s no question about that! We’ll just have to wait and see what happens."
The storm created significant headaches throughout the region.
During a large fire response to a vacant building in Burlington, officials said getting support crews from neighboring communities was tough because of messy conditions. No one was injured battling the blaze on King Street, the Burlington Fire Department said.
Most Vermont schools were closed Friday, many flights in and out of the Burlington International Airport were canceled, and there were a few thousand scattered power outages throughout the day— especially in Bennington County, according to https://vtoutages.com.
Public safety leaders were asking Vermonters to limit unnecessary travel Friday so plows would have room to work through that foot-plus of snow.
With the roads near him quiet, Ethan Bellavance could cross-country ski down the middle of Burlington streets to pick up some groceries.
"It’s a good way to kind of kill two birds with one stone," Bellavance said. "Get some exercise and get a chore off the list."
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Michael Shapiro, 7, had it easier. His mom, Shawna, was tugging him around in a sled behind Champlain Elementary School.
When questioned on why it appeared his mother was doing all the work, the first-grader countered, "Well, I actually did all of the work trying to keep the sled in the right spot. I actually fell off a couple of times, so I did a lot of work, too."
Gigi Veve was looking to hot chocolate as an escape from bitter winds and snow, patronizing Kestrel Coffee Roasters on Maple Street in Burlington.
"Especially when you have to take long walks, it’s a great way to warm up," Veve said, holding her Kestrel hot chocolate.
In the mountains, though, skiers and riders at Killington Resort were celebrating the chance to get into the cold.
"We live for these days," resort spokeswoman Kristel Killary said. "We were bummed that we missed the last snowstorm last weekend. So we have been waiting for this and we are excited to have that fresh light powder to ski and snowboard in."
Because the snow northern Vermont received was so powdery, drivers should be alert to the possibility of drifting snow on the roadways that could make for some trouble spots on the roads.
Vermont Emergency Management also reminded people to clear blocked heating vents, to prevent the buildup of potentially deadly carbon monoxide. Emergency Management also urged Vermonters to take breaks while shoveling, to reduce the chances of injury.
