DU check: How is everyone doing with all the ice?

[AndyA]

Everyone have power?

Today is my first day to venture out of the house. I live on a very high steep hill, and I couldn't even walk on the grass in my front yard, it was the same as an ice rink.

And there's no ice melt, sand, or anything else available to help dig out of the mess. I ordered 150 lbs. for my family from Texas, shipping it in via UPS for delivery tomorrow. None of the stores in Tulsa have any, and when it does come in, they say it's all gone within an hour or so.

It would be easier to jackhammer up concrete than chip up this thick ice.

And there's a chance for more this weekend.

I hope everyone is doing OK - check in and let us know how you're doing!

[Sequoia]

1. Wouldn't it be to icy to deliver?

You poor souls. Guess Oklahoma is not okay with you. I was amazed at the news Sunday morning with all the trees covered in sheets of ice. I wonder how the animals are doing?

[AndyA]

2. The trees are awful, I can't bear to watch news about the animals.

I've seen dead cattle on the news, though. Farmers can't get to them to feed them, and the cattle can't get back to shelter. And I know that strays are probably in the same situation.

I guess most of the trees will be OK if they don't break under the load of ice. Tomorrow and Friday are supposed to be above freezing, so there's a chance of thawing then.

I'm having UPS deliver the ice melt to my office downtown, I'll have to figure out how to get it home. The main city streets are pretty good, but the residential streets are awful. I feel bad for people in outlying areas, as they don't have the equipment or manpower a city like Tulsa has to deal with all of this. Grocery stores look like they've been looted, and they said they are restocking like crazy every night, extra trucks coming in, etc., but they just can't keep up.

I've never lost power, so I'm thankful for that.

I'll be glad when Spring is here.

[Sequoia]

3. That's really awful.

And when spring comes you can sing...Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day...let's hope so. Hang in there!

[RoyGBiv]

4. Relatively speaking, fine ...

But, CRAP I'm sick of the ice. Spent $400 Monday morning just trying to get to work ... went in a ditch, dead radiator, tow truck, replace radiator ... call boss and tell him I'm already in the hole for the day and am going to go hibernate for the rest of it.

Then got stuck today at lunch.

My daughter's mother was stuck in a house in McAlester for 5 days without power. It's on a hill. They couldn't even walk away from it because of the ice. Luckily they did have food.

And my daughter was here, so she was fine since we got lucky and didn't lose power.

One of the main buildings at my old high school burned on Sunday. Storm kept them from being able to do much with it. Smoke damage is everywhere and one building gone.

I don't want to talk about the stray animals I've seen. I try to help, but there are just so many, and they can't find any food or shelter.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

17. Nevermind.

[KatyaR]

5. I don't know what it's like over there, but here in OKC, that stuff

didn't work on this ice--it's the sleet we had on Sunday, and it's too hard and it's been too cold for anything to melt it except the chemicals the city put on the streets, and even that didn't work that well.

It's the most bizarre stuff--I brought a 4-inch wide chunk inside on Monday, and it didn't really melt, it just--dissipated. And it hasn't really melted much at all--the stuff is like cement. The guys who came to clear the parking lot at work had to break it up into pieces. The parking lots looks like it's full of debris from a tornado.

Tonight the secondary streets are worse than they've been all week--a solid sheet of very slippery ice. I had a horrible time getting the last 3 blocks to my house--I'm going to have a hell of a time in the morning.

Stay safe!

[blonndee]

6. I'm lucky, I was able to drive to campus today

but getting through the parking lots and questionable sidewalks on foot was a scary, treacherous task, and even the grass (like yours) is frozen solid like an ice rink. I have some friends in Norman who either can't get their cars out of their apt. complex parking lots or out of their steep driveways.

There was a fire truck and ambulance on campus today. I don't know what happened but I bet someone fell. I hope whoever was injured is okay. The campus did NOT adequately de-ice the sidewalks. I was shocked at their condition. Usually OU does a much better job than this.

[RoyGBiv]

7. Amublances ...

I counted 12 ambulances pass by my place of business today, at speed, sirens blaring. On a normal day, I see maybe one.

It was worse out there today than it has been since Friday, even if some of the streets are clearer. Too many Men(tm) in Big Damn Trucks(tm) who won't let a little ice get in the way of them asserting their superiority over nature out on the roads.

Security guard at work read one the riot act today ... could have sent him to jail, but he saved OKC PD the paperwork. He came screaming into the lot, which of course is a solid sheet of ice that's melted a bit and refrozen so it's like glass covered with grease, and spun in a circle, almost hitting a woman carrying her child.

Glad I have tomorrow off.

[OKNancy]

14. My daughter reported that the campus looked like a war zone

Not one tree that is not damaged in some way.
It's really going to be hard for the out of town students to make up finals.

I'm in Tulsa, and I am one of the few people I know who have had power the entire time.
My neighborhood has underground utilities, so that helps a lot.

My business is without power. It's going to hit me very hard financially.

[Z_I_Peevey]

8. Reporting in from SE Oklahoma, alive and well

This is much worse than the 2000 storm--many more trees and power lines down. There is a virtual army of bucket trucks here.

As I'm a nutty country gal, I had plenty of supplies, candles, batteries, etc. and I rode out the first five days without power just fine. Caught up on a lot of sleep. Without the constant underlying electrical hum, it's surprising how much deeper one sleeps.

[AndyA]

9. When it rains, it pours.

The weather report this morning is for an additional 4-6" of snow to fall this weekend! And it's supposed to be a nasty, wet snow that will down power lines and tree limbs.

I'm just sick about all the stray animals, bless their hearts. I have two cats that I love dearly, and I give them extra hugs every time I think about the cold, hungry strays outside with no food and no shelter. I don't know how they can possibly survive in this weather. It really just makes me sick.

[Coyote_Bandit]

10. I'm Stuck!

Single width driveway with a slope, a rear entry double garage and a gate. Best I can tell it is covered in at least 3 inches of very solid ice. Not even the edges crack when I stand on them. I'm not sure I could walk down the slope to the gate. If I could, I'm not sure I could open it as it appears that (1) it may be frozen to the brick, and (2) the bottom is definitely embedded in the fallen sleet and ice buildup. If I could open the gate, I'm not sure I could make the 90 degree turn required when backing out of the garage to avoid hitting either the tree, the house, or the fence and the neighbors storage shed on the other side of that fence. The residential street is sloped and there have been several people stuck in the street every day. Lots of twists and turns and stops - mostly on slopped streets - to find ones way out to a main arterial street.

I have cleared a path about 2 feet wide from the patio door across the front of the garage. Makes it a bit safer to let the dogs outside. They both have fallen several times. One was standing still and fell when he shifted his weight to bend down and smell the bird seed I had thrown out. I have not left the house and that narrow little outside area since last Friday just before the stuff started falling. I have a bad case of cabin fever. But I have been very fortunate since I did not lose power or water.

My next door neighbor has an enormous old tree that loses limbs regularly even in good weather. If that tree were to come down or lose one of its main branches both of our houses would be severely damaged - and everyone on the street would lose power. There is a lot of ice coat up there. You can hear it rattling and cracking when the wind blows. So far so good. But at this point it is probably my biggest concern.

TV weather said this morning that we should expect another 4 to 8 inches of wet snow this weekend. That is not good. Wet snow is heavy and could cause further tree damage, power outages and roof collapses.

I've got a stock of food and should be fine for the next bunch that blows through. A Man with a Big Damn 4x4 Truck called and volunteered to take me to the grocery store today. It will be nice to restock the staples and pick up some convenience food and some munchies for the football games this weekend. I'll put a pair of old socks on over the outside of my shoes to increase my traction walking on this stuff. And I will do my best to try and interest him in getting something to eat or a movie or something if he has time.

The ice is horrible. And I fear severe storm season.

[OKNancy]

11. I'm waiting to see if we really get more snow this morning

I haven't had classes at my school ( that I own) since Thursday Jan 12th. I hope I can have class this morning. Not only is it a pain to have to make-up the classes, but also, tuition payments haven't been made. They are supposed to pay the first lesson of each month, but most don't get around to it until the second or third week. SO! no money to pay my bills. I guess I'm glad I have my old 1994 front-wheel drive van. At least it gets around OK on the ice.

I'm just grateful we have power.

My daughter at OU said a lot of her classes aren't full yet, and one of her professors didn't make it th first day because he fell on the ice and broke his ankle on the way to class.

[NaturalHigh]

12. We had it pretty rough here in NE Oklahoma.

Our power was off for about four days. To make it worse, I had just had hernia surgery on Friday the 12th, so there was basically nothing I could do except crawl into the passenger seat as my wife drove us to my parents' house. At least the kids were spending the weekend at their other grandparents' house, and they never lost power.

[tandot]

13. My sister lives in Jones, OK - way out in the country

Their power is down...no heat, no light, no warm water. They can't leave home because there are trees crashing all around them and blocking all roads to her property. It usually takes them 20 minutes to get to the nearest store - in normal weather. They said that it will be at least 2 weeks until they get their power back.

I lived in OK for 10 years and went through several of those ice storms. I am so glad to live now in Northern California. No ice storms, no tornado warnings, no straight winds, no breath taking humidity...

My thoughts are with all the Okies who have to suffer through that horrible weather :hi:

[OKNancy]

15. LOL - I just realized this was a year old thread

same old story though. It sucks

[tandot]

16. How funny (or unfunny). I didn't even notice that.

I miss my OK friends, but I sure don't miss the weather :hi: