Early Blizzard in 1960 was Deadly

It was one of the worst blizzards in Fairfield County history.

On Dec. 11, 1960, almost two feet of snow fell in the area. It's an almost unfathomable amount, especially considering winter hadn't even arrived yet. Schools were closed. Traffic was backed up. Lives were lost.

Two men died from heart attacks while shoveling snow, according to the Town Crier.

Westport police said at the time that the situation was not as dire as it could have been because most people were already off the roads. Most people, that is, except for Lester Gilbertie, who lived on Sunrise Road. His wife went into labor and he had to get her to Norwalk Hospital. He managed to get there in time even though Interstate 95 was closed.

Days after the storm, the fire chiefs in Westport and Fairfield urged people to shovel out nearby fire hydrants.

"We realize that everyone is tired of shoveling," they said. "But a few extra minutes could save a house and possibly a life. Our men need water to quell a blaze. Only you can give us this by cleaning away the snow."

The only people in business during blizzard was the police, firefighters and town maintenance personnel, according to Crier. Westport was a "verifiable ghost town."

The snow was so bad on Sunday that football officials couldn't find the yard lines during New York Giants-Washington Redskins game. The game was played at nearby Yankee Stadium and the G-Men won 17-3.

The day after the storm, the United States Postal Service still had to deliver the mail. Two trucks got stuck trying to make deliveries.

"We had just been talking about storms during the Christmas rush. I mentioned how lucky we had been." said Westport postmaster Edward Butner. "Now this had to happen."

How lucky will Westport be as 2010 comes to a close?