OK: Icy Storm Blamed For 14 Deaths, Massive Power Outages

[rainbow4321]

http://kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=141350

Authorities say 13 people have in auto accidents on slick roadways and the state medical examiner's office says a 46-year-old transient died overnight in Oklahoma City from hypothermia.

Nearly a half million homes and businesses are without power with more than 215,000 customers with Oklahoma Gas & Electric. Another 200,000 customers of Public Service Company of Oklahoma are still without power this afternoon and thousands more customers of smaller utilities are without power as heavy ice snapped power poles and sent tree limbs crashing into transmission lines.

Utility officials said it could be a week or more before power is fully restored and PSO spokesman Stan Whiteford says the outages are as severe as he's ever seen.


----------------------

Worst natural disaster for the area according to relatives who have lived in NE OK for 20+ years. News reports and locals keep using the word "war zone"..not a tree left standing (falling onto houses), no electricity for at least a week, restaurants/stores shut down, water supply may be next to go once power pumps lose thier electricity. Sis has relocated her family to parts of the house where the roof isn't having any ice filled trees crashing down. She's lost every tree on her 2.5 acre lot, as have her neighbors. Hour and longer waits at what gas stations are actually open.
St John Hospital in Tulsa is on back up generator after their power source exploded, not taking any new patients.


Biggest question for her city of 20,000 right now is why the HELL they have not opened any emergency shelters!! Schools that are closed could be used, there are a few churchs with electricity, and the YMCA is locked up.

[RoyGBiv]

1. Sounds like SE Oklahoma in 2001 ...

I couldn't drive down my street for a week even after the ice started to melt.

Spent a week sleeping in a liquor store (I was the manager) because it was on the only street in town that had power.

As for your question, one reason may simply be access. In my home town back in 2001, most schools were on the same streets in residential areas that didn't have power and were littered with falling and threatening to fall trees, plus downed power lines, broken pipes, etc. Just getting there was dangerous and being there wouldn't necessarily have made one better off that huddling in their home.

[blonndee]

2. I was wondering about you, Roygbiv.

I can't seem to reach any of my OK friends tonight. Hate to be selfish, but I'm thankful to be in a warm house tonight. I presume my old house in the S metro is out of power too. Last January's ice storm was awful, but this sounds much worse because of the traffic deaths and widespread power outages.

[RoyGBiv]

5. Well, thanks ...

Nice to be remembered. :-)

My mom is in Moore and says power came on there about Noon. Daughter is at OU in the dorms, and they have power. So, the family is safe and warm tonight.

Phones and cell phones seem to be the big problem. Lots of phone lines out, and they tend to be lower priority, which of course increases cell phone usage and makes it harder to get through. Mom's land line is still out. Her cell phone works occasionally.

As for me, I moved to Houston last month. It's 71 degrees here right now and humid as all get-out. :-)

I'll pay for this come summer.

Hope you and yours are okay.

[blonndee]

12. Glad to hear you and the fam are ok.

And I didn't know you had moved, too. I moved to SE NM. I actually miss Oklahoma WAY more than I thought I would. If it weren't for the tornadoes, I think I'd be back there by next summer, actually. What made you move away?

[RoyGBiv]

14. Abject stupidity ...

I let my chronic cynicism go on vacation for a few months and thought following a dream would be a good idea. Long story, but it's not turning out well at all. If I hadn't signed a year lease, I'd be shopping for rental trucks to get the hell out.

Seriously, it's not all that bad but is, naturally, not turning out in any fashion liked I'd hoped. I got back in touch about a year ago with a dear friend who is on the verge of receiving her PhD, and over that year I decided I wanted to move here to be near her and the community in which she is involved because ... well, my true interests lie in the same field in which she is getting her degree, we started out going to college at the same time, we have a long history, etc. I did get a well-paying, good job out of the deal that actually utilizes my talents, but my boss is positively insane and has cowed everyone else in my department into being sheep. They bitch and moan constantly, and when I suggest alternatives that might actually work, all they can do is think of reasons why the boss will say no, and in staff meetings turn on me and kiss her ass. Crazy. :crazy:

Anyways ... sorry for that. I had a mini-rant building inside me.

The weather is nice ... now. :-)

What took you to NM?

[blonndee]

15. Sorry for all the drama, but I wish you well with your new job!

Sounds a little hellish, and I'm sorry you've been disappointed.

It actually sounds like you and I might be in similar dilemmas. Heh. I hope you figure it out before or when I do. My "dream" is also not panning out like I thought it would and I too am considering how I might be able to make it in good old OK.

[RoyGBiv]

16. The problem with OK ...

Well, other than the weather, the problem with OK is the pay. I got a 35% raise just moving here, and even accounting for the higher cost of living, which wasn't all that dramatic, that's hard to ignore. I work at a college, and doing the same job at OU or OSU or wherever would not compensate me nearly the same.

And the benefits are just remarkable. How this hardcore Republican state has managed to maintain this level of service for public employees is one of the mysteries I'm trying to figure out.

I wish you well. Maybe we can both figure it out somehow.

[Bluebear]

3. Power outages now up to 600,000

OKLAHOMA CITY - A wintry storm caked the center of the nation with a thick layer of ice Monday, blacking out more than 600,000 homes and businesses, and more icy weather was on the way. At least 17 deaths in Oklahoma and Missouri were blamed on the conditions, with 15 of them killed on slick highways.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071211/ap_on_re_us/winter_storm

[rainbow4321]

4. I went over to the OK forum to see what people were saying re: the storm

and then realized why there were no posts....probably cuz 1 out 3 Oklahomans have no power (according to state officials) :-(

Sis is having to use her cell phone charger that she uses in the car to keep the cell up and running in case of emergency. If anyone is trying to reach friends/loved ones in the affected areas that is one thing to keep in mind...they may have house based cell chargers only and if their cells are dead, recharging is not an option.

[Lars39]

7. I ran across this gizmo in a catalog the other day:

http://www.herringtoncatalog.com/as657.html

I've seen the hand-cranked radios before, but not one that could charge a cell phone.

[kestrel91316]

6. Please stay safe, Okies........

[Ilsa]

8. Meanwhile in the Caribbean:

Subtropical Storm Olga has formed near the Virgin islands and is spinning toward Puerto Rico. Olga is moving to the west-southwest at 17 mph and packing winds of 40 mph.

Tropical storm-force winds and squalls of tropical downpours are likely across the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola. A flood watch is in effect for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

(Hurricane season ended 11/30.)

[RL3AO]

9. It is not really that unusual that a weak storm formed it December

what is unusual is that it is anywhere near land.

[DS1]

10. 40 mph?

ok

[RL3AO]

13. Well 40mph storms in Hispaniola can cause Katrina like death tolls.

[RB TexLa]

11. Saw that. Weird, you'd think from our 10 PM news that Dallas is in Oklahoma

:shrug:

[Hoof Hearted]

17. Our prayers are with your sis and her family. I'm afraid we'll all be waking up to a major

widespread disaster tomorrow. Forget what they told you about it taking a week to get the power back on, plan for more. People don't understand how devastating these storms are until they've been in one. We'll have elderly stuck in homes that have no heat and 1/2 a roof with temperatures below freezing. Wouldn't it be AWESOME if we had a National Guard to assist in times of crisis?

[rainbow4321]

19. Yeah, Nat'l Guard would be nice since the Red Cross/fire dept are overwhelmed

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=11&articleID=071211_238_A1_hStor23115

More than two-thirds of the Tulsa metro area was without electricity Monday as heavy ice caused trees to snap and fall, taking power lines with them.

The Fire Department received 1,800 calls between 8 p.m. Sunday and 8 p.m. Monday -- about 10 times more than normally received, officials said.

The American Red Cross was overwhelmed by the huge demand for services in the Tulsa area and was unable to assist the family in Monday night's fire, Remmert said.

<snip>

Tulsa residents were being asked to conserve water Monday afternoon because Mohawk Water Treatment Plant was without power. Output was increased at the A.B. Jewell Water Treatment Plant
--------------


And 3 of of Tulsa's biggest hospitals are on back up generators.

[Kurovski]

18. So the folks in OK are getting some of that nice Global Climate Change weather

we just had last week here on the Northwest coast.

Small World.