Twelve inches overnight is a fair chunk of snow for anybody, anywhere. It's downright crippling when it falls somewhere that the populace is not accustomed to it nor ready for it.
About 20 years ago, the city of Toronto received a similar amount in one day...and then got an even greater amount fall on them over the next few days. The mayor of the city at that time was a little dancing monkey who was well-known for his antics on the TV commercials he insisted upon starring in, advertising his furniture/appliance business. After a week of heavy snow, he called the federal government begging for assistance from the armed forces.
The soldiers duly arrived and dug out the city...and Toronto was the laughing stock of the rest of the country for a long time after that...even more than usual. A situation which would have been an inconvenience for the vast majority of the country was treated like the End Of Days by the delicate urban flowers and their manic mayor.
A good time was had by (almost) all!