Winter Storm Nemo Arrives in Connecticut; Worst is yet to Come

Yahoo! News is gathering brief first-person accounts, photos and video from the severe winter weather in the northeastern United States. Here's one resident's story.

FIRST PERSON | STAMFORD, Conn. -- Winter Storm Nemo arrived in Stamford with flurries at 7 a.m. Those quickly gave way to heavy flakes, giving a sense of the storm to come. This storm is predicted to be the most devastating weather event in years, excepting October's Hurricane Sandy.

Storm-weary residents here, once bitten by Sandy, are preparing for the worst. Store shelves were empty and lines at gas stations resulted in wait times of as long as 30 minutes last night, as residents prepared to be trapped inside their homes. Water, road salt, and shovels were in short supply. Optimistically, plastic sleds were also sold out.

The snow fall is alternating between heavy and light. It seems to fall at inches per hour, only to change to very light flakes. It's a heavy, wet, sticky snow on the ground, making shoveling a back-breaker. There's no significant wind to speak of and, thus far, no significant damage, injuries, or power outages reported.

The blizzard will continue throughout the day and into Saturday, with the heaviest snowfall expect in the evening. Connecticut's Gov. Dan Malloy is declaring a state of emergency with road closures to begin at noon.

As the snow piles up, our preparations for the safety and health of our family were not wasted efforts. We have adequate supplies of staple foods, gas for the snow-blower, and flashlights and batteries. We checked our property for potential problems and found none (fortunately, no trees are within striking distance of our house). Nemo is finding us well-prepared, well-stocked, and ready to spend a weekend indoors.