Current Midwestern Ice Storm Adds Insult to Injury

Will Rogers once said, "If you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, just stick around for a few hours." The last 24 hours have been proof of that statement. Last night when we went to bed around midnight, the temperature was in the 30's. When we got up this morning around 8:00, it was in the 60's. I went for a doctor's appointment at 10:00 a.m. and it was so warm I went in short sleeves. When I came out of the doctor's office about noon it was 71 degrees. But by the time I drove home, a distance of 2 or 3 miles, and got out of the car, it was cold! Now at 7:30 p.m. the temperature is around 50 again. We have cold fronts right on the heels of warm fronts followed by another cold front.

Thankfully, we have also had over 2 inches of much-needed rain in the last couple of days. The weather is predicted to clear up on Thursday, but by Saturday snow is predicted. We may even have a white Christmas for a change, but sadly the family may not be able to get together if the roads get icy again.

One year we had a tornado in our little town on Christmas Eve. Hopefully that won't happen this year, but one can never tell.

Oklahoma weather has always been unpredictable, but in recent years it seems to have become worse in every way. The last 10 years in our part of the state (extreme eastern) have been very dry. The worst part of it is that we often seem to get most of our rain in freezing weather. Since the year 2000 large portions of the state have had three terrible ice storms that have left people without electricity for up to three weeks straight, trees broken and ruined, and much damage to houses and other property. Some have even lost their lives due to storm-related accidents or exposure to the cold.

I had thought the ice storm in 2000 was the worst, but tonight the state is in the middle of what has been called the worst ice storm in Oklahoma history. Hundreds of thousands of people are out of electricity in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and other places around the state, due to the weight of ice on power lines pulling them down and ice-laden tree limbs falling on the lines. Many houses are damaged and most of the trees in the storm-damaged area are virtually destroyed. It is unsafe to walk outside anywhere one might need to walk under a tree, for fear of being struck by falling limbs, or in some cases, by falling trees.

What I wouldn't have thought of before the 2000 storm is that even next summer or sometime farther in the future, limbs damaged in this storm may fall on unwary passersby. Last week my husband cut eight trees on our property that have died as a result of the 2000 ice storm, and he has many more to go. A few months ago a local woman was injured when struck by a falling tree that was also a victim of the 2000 storm.

My daughter works at the Tulsa County Courthouse, her husband works out of the Allstate office there, and their youngest daughter, Camden, attends school at Indian Springs Elementary in Broken Arrow, a suburb of Tulsa. After the storm hit Sunday, yesterday and today my daughter's workplace had electricity, while her husband's workplace and Camden's school were without. Fourteen schools in the Broken Arrow area are closed due to lack of electric service. This storm is the third bad one since they moved into their present house in Broken Arrow two years ago. Camden's school was closed for a week last year during one ice storm.

Their electricity at home is also off. They're better off than many people because they have a gas log fireplace in their bedroom that heats it and the master bath, so the three of them slept in there last night and were comfortable. They also have a gas water heater and a gas cooktop so they can still cook. They will, however, have to throw out the food in the frig and freezer as they fear it would be unsafe to eat by now.

Unfortunately, many people are in dire circumstances. Twenty-three people have perished so far in this midwestern storm. Many have no heat, no hot water, and no way to cook. I just heard on the Tulsa TV news that some people are buying expensive lumber to burn in their fireplaces for heat.

Fortunately, most people are good to help others in such situations. There are several shelters open for those without heat. Some gyms are staying open late and making their facilities available for free hot showers for displaced storm victims. The city is offering free pick-up of limbs that property owners leave on the curb. Channel 8 has emergency numbers to call for answers to any questions. Thousands of electrical workers have come in from other states to help get the power back on for as many people as possible. There is also help available from other agencies such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army. In many cases, men help elderly or disabled neighbors with clean-up of downed limbs and trees.

Precautions:

Today thirteen people who had taken shelter in one house in the Tulsa area were taken to the emergency room because they were running a generator inside the house and the people were overcome by carbon monoxide.

Authorities warn to keep generators outside, on a porch or under any shelter to keep them dry, but they should never be used inside a house.

The same is true of trying to burn charcoal inside, even in a fireplace. It just shouldn't be done.

Nor should anyone ever try to heat a house with cooking equipment of any kind, such as leaving an oven door open with the heat turned on.

Everyone should have a working carbon monoxide detector in the house in case of other dangerous circumstances of which a family might not be aware.

How to be prepared for ice storms:

I've come to believe in recent years that it would pay anyone who lives in Oklahoma to prepare themselves for the eventuality of these ice storms.

Buying a generator may be a big expense for something you may never use, but buying one when there is no crisis would be less expensive than buying one when they are in high demand. And often after a storm hits, one can't be found to buy.

In the same way, buying a chain saw on sale in anticipation of ice storms would be a much more economical way of taking care of downed limbs, etc. than hiring someone else to do it. Sometimes people will take advantage of others after a storm and charge inflated prices for doing the work. A small chain saw can be bought fairly cheaply and is easy to use for anyone of average condition and ability.

It is imperative to keep the gas tanks on one's vehicles filled at all times during winter weather. In fact it's always a good idea to keep them as full as possible. We learned that lesson the hard way when a tornado hit a neighboring town and our town lost power, making it impossible for local stations to pump gasoline. Our gas tank was virtually empty and my husband had to wait till the power was back on the next day so he could buy gas to drive to the neighboring town to check on his uncle's family who were in the storm.

Kerosene heaters are a great investment as well for those who have only electric heat or gas heat that depends on electricity for ignition or to run the blower. One should always keep extra fuel on hand in case of emergency.

It also pays to have lots of water on hand in case a storm shuts down the town's water system. Water can be caught in the bathtub and dipped out a little at a time for washing up, etc. Bottled water should be available for drinking unless one has suitable containers in which to store drinking water from the faucet.

Food should be bought up and kept on hand as well. Such things as canned soup, crackers, and canned fruit are good keepers. If the family drinks a lot of milk or eats cereal, it would even pay to have powdered milk available in case one can't get out on the road to buy milk. It could be mixed a little at a time and kept in an ice chest or outside the house if refrigeration is not working. And don't forget to stock up on food for pets or livestock.

Another good idea is to have on hand ample necessary prescription medication and any other over-the-counter meds one might need in case of coming down with a cold, etc.

As someone once said, "Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody ever does anything about it." It seems our only choice is to learn to live with it. But planning ahead does make it a little easier, and life a lot more pleasant.