@*$%# ice storm!!!

[jinman]

On the other hand, the storms south of here in 2000 and east of here in 2006 were just as bad, just not as widespread and didn't hit the two big cities, so we have been a little lucky in the past.

Those storms in 2000 were just north of me. A few days after the storm, I drove through the area and was shocked to see all the trees with their limbs in a heap around their trunks. The next year, you could see damage if you knew where to look, but the following year, anyone would be challenged to find the evidence. It's sad and a shock when it happens, but the trees do recover. I'm just worried about all those familys without power and services. Luckily, the temperature is not severly low and people can keep warm with layers of clothing. Clean food and water is another thing. Folks are just not educated in what to do in these situations. Lots of sick people will follow I am afraid.

 

[billbill1]

We never lost power from this storm but the surrounding area (in every direction within 10 miles) had major tree damage and loss of power. We were truly lucky. The prediction for the weekend is for snow and we are on the edge of it again. The ice in the trees makes for a beautiful site as long as it doesn't start breaking the limbs.

 

[sandman2234]

I have heard that a shotgun blast with #9 shot will help if you have a particular tree that you really don't want damaged. Seems strange standing out in the rain, shooting up in a tree, but that is what one of my Dad's neighbors did a few years ago. Apparently the tree made it thru the ice storm, whereas a bunch of others near it didn't. Kind of sounded like an old wife's tale, but thought I would mention it.
David from jax

 

[ragkar]

Be sure to complain to your electric company about your outage even though a half million of your neighbors are suffering too. A couple decades ago there was a really big storm that knocked out most of Connecticut. Three weeks after it started a couple in downtown East Hartford called to complain. They said that all their neighbors now had electricity and only their block was without. Within minutes they had electricity. The call back from the electric company was 'We didn't know that you were without power. We just reset the circuit breakers!'

 

[ByronBob]

I do feel for everyone who's going through this. Many years ago I went through one with my dad as a young man. No power for a week will make you clearly remember what happened inside your home as patience gets thinner.

Nobody, anywhere in this great nation should be without a generator. In some area's more than others especially.

You only need to go through this once to think that way.

 

[schmism]

last year we got hit hard (the st louis metro area) last year, we had a smaller event this year (FYI, it was within a week of exactly 1 year to the day of the ice storm last year)

last year the property was without power for 4 days because of it. Poor planning on my part led to a broken pipe (due to a lack of heat) in the old house and a basement swimming pool.

pumping out a basement may not be fun.
Doing it at 10pm at night with riged up parts you got from Homedepot an hr before, in the dark and when the temp is 7 degs out (with snow/ice on the ground) is certianly no fun (ask me how i know)

56k warning
http://www.snjschmidt.com/pics/property/basement_water.jpg

 

[ScottOkla]

Well, both of our acreages have tree damage, but not so much that I cannot get it cleaned up in 5 or 6 days of solid work. No long-term problems at all. We are about 5 miles from where the really bad ice starts, and our relatives 50 miles away to the north were in the middle of it. They were told to be prepared to be without power until as late as Christmas, but they are in the very small minority.

As you would expect, the older parts of the metro area sustained the most long-term damage, because some of those trees have been around since Oklahoma became a state. We have a few friends that live in the "old money" parts of town, and they are pretty devastated. Some of the elderly people that I helped out were really saddened by the loss of trees they had planted in the 60s.

As strange as it seems, I actually think these kinds of event are good for most of us in the long-run.

 

[Beavis]

We got hit very hard with the ice (Monday night and all day Tuesday), worst I'd ever seen in this area of Salina, Kansas. Power companies from several different states here helping get power restored. Thank God we had mid 30' temps on Wednesday so things got a good melt because it started snowing yesterday evening (Friday) and it is still going strong with 5"-9" expected.

Hang in there everyone

 

[billbill1]

My high school (1970) is without power and they don't think they will have it restored until Dec. 22. School is out for Christmas vacation early this year. This is 30 miles north of Topeka. The small communities have to wait until the more populated areas are back in service.

 

[chh]

If you have a generator, chain it up! The thieves are hard at work. Hearing a lot of reports of people finding them gone, if thieves have any opprotunity to get them.