
A savage blizzard packing hurricane force winds dumped up to four feet of snow on many parts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut between the 6th and 7th of February 1978. Not only did the deep snows paralyze highway traffic, but because of the mountainous waves it created during record high tides hundreds of people were sent fleeing from their coastal homes, their houses reduced to rubble. Fifty-four died and highways and neighbor streets alike were left clogged with abandoned, snow-covered vehicles. It was many days before community life returned to normal.

A special Boston.com report -- then and 30 years on

1978
Buried
Cross-country skiing on the streets of Boston, abandoned cars on Route 128, and destroyed homes.
(Globe Magazine, 2/3/08)
(Globe Magazine, 2/3/08)
The aftermath
The effects of the historic coastal storm were felt for years afterwards.
(Boston.com, 2/08)
(Boston.com, 2/08)
Marooned at the Garden
They came to watch the 26th annual Beanpot hockey tournament ... and ended up staying for days.
(City Weekly, 2/3/08)
(City Weekly, 2/3/08)
The night the Globe stopped the presses
The front page that never got to the readers because the roads were impassable.
(Globe, 2/5/08)
(Globe, 2/5/08)

2008
People made of snow
Jim and Helen Healy (left) had a "cozy week at home," resulting in their daughter, Lauren, one of the many "Blizzard Babies." (Globe, 2/6/08)
Not all bad memories
Bev and Steve Wright, shown left in 1978, mark their 29th anniversary in September after a romance that began while snowed in at work. (Globe, 2/3/08)
Chief recalls rescues
Revere Fire Chief Gene Doherty spent two days evacuating Beachmont residents from their homes as a 26-year-old firefighter. (Globe, 2/7/08)
Too furious to forget
Elmer Pooler, then Scituate assistant harbormaster, spent an unforgettable few days going head-to-head with the worst Mother Nature had to offer. (Globe South, 2/7/08)

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Have we learned anything?
What if it hit today? How would a more populous, more technologically-savvy Massachusetts react to up to 54 inches of snow? A look at what the Blizzard of 1978 has taught us about emergency preparedness. At left, South Boston police and volunteers struggled to free a police cruiser in Public Square. (Globe, 2/3/08)
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Special report edited by John C. Burke and produced by Allison Manning