Hi Julie , after preparing for the worst, (predicted highs of 15 to 20 cm. of snow possible with streamers off Lake Huron capable of dumping much more ) , ....thank you "weather guesserators! " we only got about maybe 2 inches . Winds were high though and temps bitter ( they got that right at least between -20 and -25 Celcius) . I went out to water and feed my chickens saturday morning and when I looked down to the farthest part of the property it looked as if it had snowed and then someone had run up and down with a snowplow and removed all the snow ....you could see the grass through the snow . So I am guessing with nothing there to stop it the snow was just blown away by the high winds . Very odd as the snow was left everywhere else..

The good news is that most if not all of your hostas will survive, the bad news is that for this year they are going to look somewhat the worse for wear. The ones that were flattened to the ground will mostly stand right back up in a couple of days, the resilience of hostas is amazing. Be sure you leave all the stems and leaves in place, they may look terrible, but are still going to provide nourishment to the plants. In a few weeks you can do some judicious trimming as needed. You will probably have higher light levels in some spots, so keep an eye on plants that may need additional watering.

If the tree is sprouting from the base only, it most likely froze to the ground. The top part is probably dead. You can select a new trunk from the sprouts at the base and grow a new tree. The trees roots and root flare at the base of the trunk are supposed to be at the surface, not buried a foot below ground.

The premise and title of the linked article relate to "evacuation being impossible". I haven't heard of any such reports but do you know, were any of the fatalities people who died while complying in a timely manner with evacuation orders? "Government culpability", to the extent there is any, isn't responsible for weather phenomena. It would be a challenge to name many, if any, states or local governmental entities to hold up as examples of high-level performance and achievement. In the end, the effectiveness of laws and policies depend on the actions of competence of elected officials, to enact needed laws, and the work of governmental employees to carry out their needed functions. Not enough of them are as capable as their jobs require. I think everywhere has examples of government dysfunctionality leaving people without infrastructure and services they expect and need. It's certainly true where I live. At other times, the forces of natural phenomena create problems beyond what may have been expected. (Remember the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989? A whole section of the top level of the two decker Bay Bridge broke off at one spot, sending moving vehicles to the deck below and causing a few fatalities as I recall. Nearby, an entire raised freeway collapsed, killing over 40 people. Were these avoidable?) At times like this, it needlessly makes people vulnerable in ways that could have been avoided. It's too bad but it is reality.