During the weekend and into Monday, the weather predictions braced the Mid-Ohio Valley for the potential big blast from a "superstorm" that included cold, snowy air from the north, and the remnants of Hurricane Sandy from the East Coast.
With the June 29 summer storm still fresh in the minds of area residents, people made sure they were well stocked with food, batteries, blankets, gasoline and even generators. We learned from June's powerful storm that knocked out power to many for more than a week.
Friends, neighbors and relatives kept in touch before and during Monday night's rainy and windy period.
As it turned out, the storm's impact locally was limited. The Mid-Ohio Valley apparently missed a direct hit from the "superstorm."
Unfortunately, the East Coast and southern West Virginia were hit hard and will be recovering for a long time. Our hearts go out to those people. We know what it takes to get up after a storm wreaks havoc.
At the same time, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the area avoided disaster this time. There still may be some issues to deal with concerning river levels, but at least for now, the worst has passed.
But if the worst did hit this time, it's a good bet many more Valley residents were better prepared than they were on June 29.
