---
title: 'Portland snow brings with it a modern day air raid siren on smartphones… and of course a new meme'
date: '2014-02-09T11:28:13-08:00'
type: post
word_count: 535
char_count: 3401
tokens: 696
categories:
  - iPhone
  - Oregon
  - Portland
  - Videos
tags:
  - meme
  - Portland
  - smartphone
  - snow
---

# Portland snow brings with it a modern day air raid siren on smartphones… and of course a new meme

Okay. Okay. We get it. Portlanders like to freak out about the weather. Especially winter weather. But this one was a bit of a doozy. And as usual, it became a messy mix of snow and ice rather quickly. Portland does that whole messy weather thing exceptionally well. The snow. The freezing rain.

Ah Portland.

But this time, we were decidedly living in the future. As many smartphone owners in the area found that their devices had turned into a handheld air raid siren.

> Okay. That was pretty compelling use of technology right there. [pic.twitter.com/BcTJx0Nerx](http://t.co/BcTJx0Nerx)
> 
> — Rick Turoczy (@turoczy) [February 9, 2014](https://twitter.com/turoczy/statuses/432549414377246720)

[//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js](//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js)

The push notification—coupled with the blaring alarm—jolted some folks and woke others. But it did its job. For some folks, a little more than expected.

> Dude, I get it. I have eyes, it's icy out. [pic.twitter.com/SQr6DCzsCY](http://t.co/SQr6DCzsCY)
> 
> — Sasha Mace (@sashamace) [February 9, 2014](https://twitter.com/sashamace/statuses/432576849688793088)

[//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js](//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js)

(Irony: Sasha works for Urban Airship.)

But what was even more impressive—at least from a technology standpoint—was how this message was rapidly amplified through a bunch of social channels. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram all lit up with people sharing the alert. And thereby spreading the word. Often to folks who hadn’t yet received the news. Amplifying a message, indeed.

Long story short, it was one of those cases of technology being used the right way at the right time. To help. Even if it wasn’t perfect. Not bad for [Portland’s first time](http://www.kgw.com/news/Portland-uses-wireless-alert-system-for-first-time-244632301.html "Portland uses wireless alert system for the first time"), though.

Well, and if that wasn’t enough. We got a new meme. That’s right! The next time it snows around here, you can share both “[Portland snow car crashes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaksWCnHaDM "Portland snow car crashes")” and this new gem, which [had been trending](http://www.reddit.com/r/Portland/comments/1xe8p8/what_are_you_doing_out_running_in_the_snow_xpost/ "What are you doing running out in the snow?") on [Portland’s subReddit](http://www.reddit.com/r/Portland/comments/1xdkbl/joggers_get_more_than_they_bargained_for_on/ "Joggers get more than they bargained for on Portland street") but just blew up when [Deadspin caught hold of it](http://deadspin.com/runner-eats-it-immediately-after-interview-about-runnin-1519107024 "Runner eats it immediately after interview about running in the snow").



**\[UPDATE\]**

If you’re feeling bad for laughing, don’t worry. She’s okay. [And a terribly good sport about the whole thing](http://deadspin.com/meet-the-girl-who-ate-it-after-interview-about-running-1519389938 "Meet the girl who ate it after the interview about running in the snow").

**\[/UPDATE\]**

Stay safe, Portland. And charge those devices. It’s usually about now that the [power starts going out](http://www.portlandgeneral.com/safety_outages/outages/outage_updates/outage_detail.aspx?county=multnomah "Portland General Electric outages in Multnomah County").