A massive winter snowstorm left Whidbey Island buried this week, leaving schools and businesses shut and thousands without power.

Unlike previous snows that melted away after a day, this week’s flurry started Sunday night and continued through the start of the work week. Many roads across the South End were closed to traffic, and some drivers faced treacherous driving conditions on the roads that stayed open.

South Whidbey schools closed on Monday and Tuesday, and Island Transit also halted service on Tuesday.

From Greenbank to Clinton, the winter wipeout affected just about everyone. Along with the snow and ice, freezing temperatures kept people indoors and disrupted the normal routine of the South End.

Some were having fun — kids taking snow days off from school, mainly — while others were faced with the dangerous side of this winter wonderland.

In Greenbank, master woodworker Rob Hetler took a walk through nearby Meerkerk Gardens — a short walk.

“I was walking along enjoying the quiet when I heard a loud ‘snap,’” he said. “Looking up I saw a heavy branch coming my way.”

Hetler said he beat a hasty retreat.

Hetler said the Greenbank area received up to 9 inches of snow.

And though the skies were dark and low on Monday afternoon, he could see sunshine over Camano Island.

“It seemed a lot of snow fell over a 24-hour period, more than normal especially for November,” he said.

Sheriff, fire district busy

Many South Enders had close calls like Hetler.

Emergency workers and the Island County Sheriff’s Office had to deal with the mess and were busy from the time the first snow settled on the ground Sunday.

Fire District 3 volunteers were slammed with a heavier-than-normal call volume, starting Sunday afternoon just when the first of the two snow storms began. That afternoon, travelers returning to Clinton from the long holiday weekend were greeted by wet, slushy snow as they drove off the ferry.

The snow fell for an hour or so as cars crawled up Highway 525 during the almost white-out conditions.

However, the initial snowstorm was brief and only caused a slight dusting across the island. Once it stopped, the roads were clear. But it was a different story Monday when the snow started to fall again and continued almost nonstop throughout the day.

On Sunday night, Fire District 3 had a high volume of medical calls.

The next morning, the high number of medical calls continued and calls for downed trees and power lines had volunteers racing all over the South End. Chief Dan Stout said they responded to nearly 100 calls on Sunday and Monday.

“The district was very busy,” Stout said. “We set up an area command at the Freeland station about noon on Monday. All the stations in the district were manned, as well,” he said.

Calls came directly to the station by fax and computer; a good thing, Stout said.

“That allowed us to better allocate our resources,” he said.

The calls ranged from minor fender benders and cars sliding into ditches to downed trees and power lines.

One call was a propane leak — a tree fell onto a propane tank and broke the valve.

“We stayed on the scene until the propane repairman could fix it,” Stout said.

Volunteers answered nine calls for downed trees on Sunday, Stout added, and on Monday district volunteers responded to 18 fallen trees on power lines and 14 reports of downed trees.

Stout said firefighters learned from the windstorm in February that establishing an area command center was effective in dealing with a high number of calls.

“The first time the district set up an area command was during the Super Bowl windstorm and floods in February,” he said. “It is very efficient when there is a high call volume. We can dispatch faster.”

District personnel broke down the command center about 4:30 p.m. Monday when the number of calls started to ebb.

The phones were ringing off the hook at Island County Emergency Services as well, said Mike Simmons, emergency services coordinator.

Island County Emergency Services staff had been out since the early morning hours trying to coordinate the various emergency service agencies on Whidbey Island.

Halfway through Monday it became difficult to keep track of street closures, power outages and other side effects of the winter storm.

“There have been so many closures, tree clearings, power outages,” Simmons said. “I heard overall there weren’t too many accidents. Some still landed in the ditch. We’ve been consistently busy.”

Simmons said Highway 525 was mostly open, but road conditions made it far from safe at times.

“The weather is really crummy,” he said.

The Island County Sheriff’s Office was slammed with calls for everything from minor motor vehicle accidents and fender benders and reports of cars in ditches to welfare checks on residents who were without power.

Jan Smith, spokeswoman for the Island County Sheriff’s Office, said the area south of Greenbank was the hardest hit on Whidbey.

“The winter weather conditions caused serious problems on roads, including downed power lines, trees and branches that blocked lanes of travel, and slippery, slushy road surfaces,” Smith said. “Power outages were reported on both Camano and Whidbey Islands.”

“We received a number of calls for welfare checks. Relatives couldn’t get a hold of love ones because of power outages and icy conditions, so deputies were checking to make sure people’s loved ones were faring well,” Smith said. “There were a number of accidents, but no serious injuries were reported.”

As of Tuesday morning, road conditions were still treacherous but road crews from Island County Public Works worked long hours to clean and sand arterial and bus routes.

“Crews worked until 11 p.m. Monday night and started again at 4 a.m. Tuesday,” Smith said. “They are doing a great job, but drivers should still be aware of the slick driving conditions.”

Island County road crews worked at maximum staffing to clear and sand county roadways on a priority basis.

“Arterial and bus routes were primary; secondary and plat roads (subdivisions) are lesser priorities; plat roads may not be cleared until sometime Tuesday, weather conditions permitting,” Smith said.

“We are urging residents who have lost power, and have no alternative means of heat, to stay with a friend or relative who does,” Smith said. “Persons with a medical condition that requires use of electrically powered equipment should consider relocating to an area that has electricity, rather than waiting until later when movement might become more difficult,”she said.

County Road crews are systematically working to remove downed branches and other obstructions, and will continue to do so.

No school, no bus, no service

The South Whidbey School District called for a two-hour late start for schools as the weather worsened on Sunday.

But by Monday morning, district officials had canceled school for Monday and Tuesday due to lousy road conditions.

All Island Transit buses were canceled Tuesday, said Linda Bohle of Island Transit. She said service coordinators were out on the road and they were hoping to restore service Wednesday.

The massive snowstorm also took a toll beyond the South End.

Whidbey Island Naval Air Station was closed. County offices on Camano Island couldn’t do business because there was no power.

Coupeville county offices were open, but many people came to work late or not at all.

Many business operated with limited staff or limited services due to lack of electricity. Some businesses just gave up and closed shop for the day.

Not business as usual

Some businesses closed down, others had a very slow day. Those who sold batteries and other blackout essentials had a magnificent business day.

Being a “walkable” city came in handy for Langley residents and businesses.

People within the city limits were without power for most of Sunday night and Monday, but not as cut off as many other South Enders. In fact, many used the unexpected snow day for shopping.

“We were busy early on,” Daniel Hill, closing manager at the Star Store in Langley. “The storm hasn’t slowed them down.”

Long before the usual lunch hour rush, the store was bustling with customers.

“Many got candles. We’re sold out on batteries and Coleman lanterns,” he said.

Another bestseller that day: hot coffee.

The Star Store conducted business until 2:30 p.m. Monday without external power.

Langley had about 6 inches of snow on the ground by mid-afternoon Monday.

The city’s public works department patrolled with its snow plow between First and Sixth streets trying to keep the core network of Langley roads cleared, but usually the streets were covered again with snow before the plow and crew returned, said city engineer Rick Hill.

“I haven’t seen snow like this since I was a little kid,” said Hill. “Usually we get a little dusting but it doesn’t stick because we’re so close to the sea level.”

In Bayview, the offices of The South Whidbey Record were closed Monday and Tuesday. The newspaper staff packed up their computers and drove them north so the Wednesday paper could be put together at The Records’s sister newspaper in Oak Harbor, The Whidbey News-Times.

In Greenbank, at Tom Coupe’s Greenbank Store, folks were stocking up on the basics, just in case.

“It’s been fairly busy since it started to snow late yesterday,” Coupe said. “People buying gas and staples like bread, milk and pre-made sandwiches in case they get snowbound.”

Other business people had a slow day.

At the Dairy Queen in Clinton, manager Won Kim noted business was slow.

“Even though we have a generator, we’ll probably close early today,” Kim said.

Being the manager has its perks, though.

“I sent my husband out to shovel the snow so our customers would be safe,” she said.

At Bailey’s Corner Store near Possession Point, Bob Taylor was on a mission.

“We had a late Thanksgiving dinner and I need butter for the biscuits,” he said.

Taylor telecommutes and had some problems getting his DSL phone connection back on line, but otherwise had a quiet day.

“My two kids go to Western Washington University and had papers due but they only made it to Clinton, the roads were so bad,” he said.

Informed the college had closed for the day, Taylor noted some things work out for the best.

At Island Framery in Clinton, Lynae Slinden had a fairly relaxing day.

“I slept in because it was warm and dark,” she said.

Though usually closed on Mondays, Slinden decided to head in anyway. “There was a lot less stress than normal and I got a lot of work done. I matted and framed pictures and put all my holiday decorations up.”

But mostly she watched the weather outside and chatted with fellow business owners.

“It’s really quite beautiful out there today,” she said.

Fighting the elements

Flooding has reared its ugly head again on Maxwelton Road.

During last week’s big rainstorm, Swain pumped 153,000 gallons of water into Useless Bay from a ditch next to his house.

Swain reported that the water level is as high as he’s seen and he planned to spend Tuesday pumping some more.

“The fellow across the street has his garage under water and the snow hasn’t even melted yet,” Swain said.

Monday, he made it to work at Nichols Brothers Boatyard but had to avoid Cultus Bay Road.

“Trees and power lines were down and the county closed the road,” he said. “It was a regular work day, but we could go home after lunch; that’s when the snow really started coming down.”

Betty Sarrett lives in one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by the storm. At Sunlight Shores just off Bayview Road, eight to 10 inches of snow were on the ground.

With fallen trees and frozen roads, she did what many South Enders had to do.

“I haven’t been out of the house,” Sarrett said.

But there wasn’t much she could do in the house, either.

“We had power for about three minutes today,” she said.

For many South Enders the snow came almost unexpected, and the consistency of snowfall surprised many.

“I don’t remember one like that – as far as snow goes. Maybe the one 10 years ago,” Sarrett said.

Doris Dunn, who lives near Bayview, wanted to remind people to drive very carefully — her daughter had a close call the night before.

“She and her boyfriend were driving in their Civic on Cultus Bay Road when they were hit by a Jeep Cherokee that couldn’t stop on French Road,” Dunn said.

“No one was hurt but her car was pretty much totaled. I’m very thankful everyone’s OK,” she said.

Dunn lives close to Casey’s on Bayview Road and invited friends over when their power went out.

Her employer, Skagit Valley College, was closed so she worked on lesson plans at home.

Dunn’s friend, Ben Thomas, and family sought shelter when their power failed — they live near Ewing Road.

Thomas is a pollution prevention consultant and was getting ready for a business trip to southern California.

“The intermittent nature of the power outages drove me crazy, especially as I rely on e-mail and a cell phone,” he said.

“Something like this really drives home how much we depend on electricity; it’s humbling when the power goes,” Thomas said.

There was an upside, however.

“The subtle pleasure of watching the light outside on a day like this was a special treat. And my kids have had fun, though they’ll pay for it when school is extended next summer,” he said.

Making the most of it.

Another South Ender, Jacqui Petrie of Mardell Lane, lost power as well. She took her dog Lady for a walk in the snow and enjoyed a turkey tetrazinni with her neighbor who has a gas range.

Seahawk fans in Freeland were disappointed when the power went off just before the kickoff of the Seattle Green Bay Monday Night football game.

“We were very disappointed,” said Linda Hayward. Our power came back just as the game ended,” she said. Sue and Melvin Helley fared pretty well. The couple has a generator so they stayed warm in spite of power outage and enjoyed the snowfall with grandchildren.

“My daughter and her family came over here to keep warm, and later we cooked dinner on my other daughter’s wood stove. We’re lucky we all live on the same street,” Sue Helley said.

For another Freeland resident, Kelly Reicheramer the snow scenes remind her of her previous home. “I came from Minnesota, and the scenes around here remind me of home. it’s just beautiful,” she said. The driveway to her Wahl Road home is too steep to drive down.

“We have a four wheel drive vehicle, but I can’t even see the driveway so I don’t dare venture out,” she said. Her 10 year old son Kale is enjoying the two snow days off from school.

“He played out in the yard in the snow for about five hours,” she said. Pam Newman didn’t get to hunker down and ride the storm out. She got called to work at the Keystone Ferry Monday. “It was scary coming home. I don’t think the plows made it south of Greenbank.”

“The kids are loving the snow,” see said. Up East Harbor Road in Freeland, Eric and Inge Nussbaum have been out of power since Monday.

“We have a generator, so we are staying warm. We only use it sporadically, but it keeps of refrigerator and freezer going,” Inge Nussbaum said. Of bigger concern to the couple is tree that fell across the Lone Rock Road leading to their home. “We called someone to remove it and I hope it happens sometime Tuesday,” Inge Nussbaum said. Water is a concern as well. “Electricity operates our pump house. We have bottled drinking water and filled the bathtub with water for the bathrooms,” she said.

Vicki Lange, administrative assistant at the Fire District lost power Monday morning at her home off Saratoga Road. “I live up the hill on Passage View and there were multiple trees down across the road,” Finally she was able to walk out with her dog, and get picked up by a fire district volunteer. “I got to work at 3 p.m. and we are just staying here until the power comes back on at my house. It’s warm and there is a shower and a bed,” she said.

But the big winner that day were the children and those who were thrown back to childhood by the overabundance of snow.

Samantha Saul lives in the Double Bluff area.

“We have lots of untouched white snow,” Saul said. Her kids between the ages of 7 and 16 had a day off from school and had a blast outside sledding down the hill and playing all day.

“They are having a great time,” she said.

Saul had gone to work to Freeland in the morning, but after lunch she went home. She and her family decided against stressing out and making the most out of the day. The Double Bluff area had power most of the day, she said.