Babysitting During a Blizzard
It was a mild March North Dakota day when Deb Jones’ parents left her at home to babysit her two sisters, Sarah, 12, and Becky, 9. Kent and Helen Jones wanted to watch big brother Jeff play in a basketball game in nearby Devils Lake. Deb who had recently turned 16, was a responsible young lady and rather enjoyed staying home.
Even though the weather was mild when the Jones left for the 15-mile drive from Webster to Devils Lake, it soon began to snow. By the final buzzer of the game, the roads had become too dangerous to travel. They called Deb and explained they were going to spend the night in Devils Lake with some friends, They assured the girls they’d be home first thing in the morning.
When Deb and her sisters woke the next morning it was snowing steadily, but the electricity was still on. Becky, the 9-year-old, thought going out into the storm sounded like the perfect adventure for a snowy morning. When Deb looked out the window, she could see nothing but snow. She decided any outside adventure was out of the question.
Then 12-year-old Sarah took up the idea. She began begging their babysitting sister to let them go outside to play in the snow. One can almost hear the reasons. “It’s so beautiful. We’ll bundle up warm. We’ll stay close to the house. Aw, com’on Deb, Puh-lease.”
Succumbing to the insistence of her little sisters, Deb found a piece of clothes line under the sink, and tied it to her charges, At least she’d have a way to pull them back to the house, and control how far they went.
When Deb decided her charges had been outside long enough, she pulled them toward the house. The end of the rope came in. Her little sisters weren’t on it.
Yelling frantically out the front door, then dashing to the closest window, she finally located her wandering sisters. They stood in front of the window with the severed end of the rope in their hands. Screaming over the noise of the storm, Deb told them to stay near the side of the house and make their way toward the open door. The little girls nodded they understood. When they’d clambered through the mounded snow and fell through the open doorway. Relieved they were safe, Deb hugged them.
The stainless fry pan was hooked up in an effort to fry up some hamburger for breakfast. While the meat was cooking Deb took took the girls downstairs. She needed to get her sisters out of their wet clothing. She then put their garments into the dryer. When they returned upstairs, the hamburger had quit frying. Deb jiggled the cords, and checked all the connections. Finally, she realized the power had gone out.
When the girls’ dad called, Deb calmly told him the power was off. He urged them to put on plenty of warm clothes, but not to worry. The storm would soon be over, and he and mother would be home as soon as possible.
Deb decided at this point she needed to keep the girls downstairs in Jeff’s bedroom as it was usually the warmest room in the house. On the way to her brother’s room they passed through the downstairs Family Room. One of the outside windows hadn’t been shut quite tightly enough. The howling wind and a little snow was blowing into the basement. She futilely tried to put a blanket over the window. When it wouldn’t stay, she decided she needed some adult help.
The phone was still working, so she called her Uncle Bud Jones who lived a half mile away. He urged her to nail the leaking window shut. “But whatever you do, Deb, don’t let the hammer hit the glass.”
Of course, that’s exactly what happened. The shattered glass let in a small tornado of wind and snow. Uncle Bud suggested she try to put a piece of cardboard over the window from the outside so the wind could hold it against the opening, Since this was going to require her to go outside, she dressed warmly. By staying close to the wall of the house, she climbed through the snow to get to the gaping window. When she slid the cardboard over the window, the wind held it firmly in position to block the hole.
With a safe and dry place to sleep, the stranded girls settled in for a second night alone in a blizzard. Snug in Jeff’s bedroom, they dressed in every piece of dry clothing available, then snuggled down for a second night under a mound of every blanket in the house.
The next morning, the wind was still blowing hard, and the storm had not let up. Deb lit a candle and managed to make toast and roast a couple of marshmallows for a little bit of breakfast for them all. During the day, as the storm raged outside, she occasionally went upstairs to look out the window. Not wanting to leave her little sisters alone any longer than necessary, she quickly returned to the downstairs bedroom.
The girls found a walkietalkie their brother Jeff sometimes used when he’d talk back and forth with his cousin Dave a half mile away. When the phone stopped working, they were able to assure Uncle Bud and Aunt Alma they were safe and staying warm.
The plight of the three Jones girls, quickly became a news item. The local radio station, KDLR, picked up the story. The story told about the plight of the three children stranded in their home and all alone. They had no power and no phone, while the current blizzard raged.
The third morning of Deb’s babysitting duty dawned bright and sunny with no wind. The storm had moved on. The girls heard some noise and found the country road maintainers were parked at the end of their driveway. They were about to be rescued. The crew took them to their aunt and uncles, who fed and put them to bed. Mom and dad finally made their way through the snow to collect their girls that evening.
This story was passed on to me by Butch Swartzenberger. It was published in the Devils Lake Journal, but there was no date line on the newspaper clipping. It was written by Deb (Jones) Hanson about her harrowing babysitting adventure on March 4, 1966.