Navan mother living in Boston caught up in Polar Vortex hell

A Navan mother living in Boston has found herself at the centre of the terrifying Polar Vortex weather emergency that is causing devastation in the U.S. The extreme conditions caused by a blast of arctic air is bringing record-breaking windchill temperatures as low as -48°C in parts of the midwest and east and has resulted in at least 12 deaths. 

Maryellen (Caldwell) Duren (33), recently moved to Bedford, Massachusetts just outside Boston with her U.S marine husband and two young children. The area is currently experiencing the brunt of the unprecedented weather phenomenon that has seen states of emergency declared throughout the region.  

"It's currently -16c here right now but to drop as the day progresses. It is bitter outside, your lungs hurt when you breathe, my hands are frozen even with snow gloves on. It's so cold that it hurts. Last night I was looking out the living room window and with the snow squall it was nearly a white out, I could barely make out the houses across the street at one point. I've never experienced anything like it. 

 

Maryellen and her daughter Zoey 

My children's school was open today so I had to venture out in the car but I was sorry that I did. Even with the roads gritted, the conditions were awful. I'm really worried that it will be even worse when I go back out to collect them. 

My husband Josh, is working in downtown Boston and it will be tonight before he gets home. Since we are expecting the worst of it to hit this evening, I won't be able to rest until he is back. I've spoken to people who have lived in here in New England their entire lives and they have never seen anything like this. We are getting the “mild” side of things compared to the Midwest. Living in extreme cold conditions is definitely an adjustment "

Maryellen's mother in law is experiencing even more treacherous conditions where she lives in Minnesota as temperatures have hit as low as -48. 

"I haven't been able to make contact with her today yet so I'm keen to know that she is ok."

 

The Navan native has made America home 

Maryellen grew up in Oakleigh on the Dublin Road in Navan and attended St Joseph's Convent of Mercy secondary school before moving abroad to work in the dental industry. The family currently living on an airforce base are no strangers to dangerous weather events having lived in New Bern, North Carolina when Hurricane Florence ravaged the southeastern state in August of last year. 

As  Josh was based in California with the Marines at the time, she was forced to flee to a hotel in Virginia for safety. The young mother had to evacuate her home taking her two children, Hunter (7) and Zoey (5) together with the family pets as the storm looked set to wreak havoc on the town.

 

"The week prior to the hurricane was extremely stressful, with mandatory evacuations imposed for our county and the hurricane constantly shifting it was hard to know where to go," she recalls, adding " With Josh away and no family around, I was alone and had to make the best decision for my children.  

I ended up leaving New Bern the morning it hit and just began driving in the direction of Washington DC, while my husband tried to book any hotel he could find.  Thankfully, we landed a few hours away and could finally relax a little knowing we were safe.

Hunter and Zoey are made for military life

When we returned, I discovered that our road was the only one in the neighbourhood that wasn't submerged in water. There was a huge amount of damage to our house and a tree had fallen in on the room that I would have been sleeping in with the kids so we are just blessed that we got out in time."

Military life suits the Navan native and Maryellen and her family have lived all over America with Josh's role in the Marine Corps. " We lived in California for just over three years and North Carolina for the same amount of time before coming to Boston all due to military orders. 

I absolutely love military life with the frequent moves and getting to see so much of America.  It’s so vastly different state from state and east coast to west. We’ve made some amazing friends at each base we’ve been to so it's always bittersweet moving on. But every new city brings new opportunities and adventures.  Of course, I miss my mam who still lives in Navan and my dad in Monaghan but thankfully flights are reasonable! America is home to me, I absolutely love being here."