Many of us remember the infamous “Blizzard of ’78”.  As a teenager growing up in Revere, the lockdown inspired by that event is still vivid in my mind – school was canceled, our parents’ workplaces were closed, few people could travel anywhere, the army set up shop at the high school, and residents displaced from their homes were forced to live and sleep on cots in the gymnasium. It was a frightening and unsettled time in our communities. I also recall certain instances in my legal and business career when time seemed to standstill and our economy came to a screeching halt, just as it has now with the invasion of Coronavirus. We survived the Blizzard of ’78 by trudging to our nearby food store across snow that was level with the roofs of parked cars and transporting our groceries home by sled.  Now, we do our shopping with masks and gloves, being careful to sanitize carts and avoid human contact. The parallels between that time and this one are obvious: this crisis will pass; we must pull together as a community; and we must ensure that life moves forward for us and our families.

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