Ice storm revisited

I sit here in the darkness writing this column.

A flashlight and a candle light the page. A kerosene lamp glows from the old sideboard in the dining room.

A battery operated radio softly plays country music, sometimes interrupted with announcements of school closings. There are many closings in Northeast Arkansas and surrounding Missouri towns.

Our towns have shut down. We are devastated. Never have I seen such widespread destruction. Who would have dreamed that ice could have such brute force.

At first the ice transformed trees into a winter wonderland as branches and limbs glistened with sparkling icicles. There was unbelievable beauty until tempertures dropped and more sleet fell in the early morning hours. The sleet added weight to the overburdened trees. They began to split and pop like firecrackers.

In the hills west of Piggott, it was like the Fourth of July as trees were rent asunder and shook the ground when they slammed to the ground. The sound of falling trees and splitting limbs filled the air, causing fear to the residents there. Utility poles were no match for the ice. They snapped like toothpicks as electrical wires became ice laden.

Our homes are cold, electric power shut off in many homes and businesses. Many have no phone service, save for their cellular phones. Those phones are proving to be a Godsend for those needing to contact loved ones, and for a myriad of other reasons.

At times the airways are jammed, communication interrupted. Food is spoiling in our home freezers and refrigerators. It's no one's fault. Nature just decided to send its fury with a gigantic ice storm.

Yet, there was good news today. Two friends phoned to say their power was just turned on. One lives in Poplar Bluff, the other in Gosnell, Arkansas. My sister in Caruthersville is without electrical power in her town, but she is fortunate. She has a gas cook stove and also a gas furnace. She has plenty of water and is managing quite well.

Even through all this destruction, the spirit of the people surfaces. At Hitt's Chapel Church, volunteers are cooking meals in a cold unheated building and are serving hot meals to those in need.

Those who have warm homes are sharing their homes with those who don't.

It is a stressful time. We miss the inconveniences we take for granted, like flipping a light switch.

Nature has brought us to our knees. We are a national disaster.

Today as I traveled Highway 49 between Piggott and Marmaduke, I was astounded by the devastation. Telephone pole after telephone pole had snapped like twigs. Some were twisted or leaning or had been felled onto the highway. It was a dangerous obstacle course.

But there is an improvement over what I saw just after the storm hit on Monday night. When I traveled the same highway it was strewn with telephone wires, poles and tree branches. Much improvement has been made. The lines have been removed from the highways and hanging overhead wires are gone now. Work crews are hard at work eliminating the problems.

Today as I traveled through Rector, I saw dozens of white Entergy trucks, and linemen who are repairing the damage in Rector.

In Piggott, members of the Arkansas National Guard were dispensing bottled water. At the courthouse more sleeping cots were being delivered and taken inside the emergency courthouse shelter.

Homeowners were outside cleaning debris from their yards and stacking it in piles for pickup.

We are returning to normal, bit by bit. No, we aren't there yet, but we will be.

We will survive.

We are a strong people.

It's February 9, 2009

The most devastating ice storm in Arkansas history continues.

The ice is gone and cleanup is underway.

Much progress has been made, but some parts of Northeast Arkansas are still without electic power.

The power has been restored to my house in Piggott, but my country home northwest of Piggott is dark, awaiting power.

The trees at the country home received huge damage, with hunks of them missing. No tree escaped unharmed. Heavy ice brought down my outside t.v. antenna. Its crumpled remains are on top the tin roof.

It's like a tornado went through the area, downing poles and trees. A broken pole with attached electric lines lays in my front yard near the house. One large tree limb was felled on top the fishing boat by the pond.

Yesterday afternoon the house in Piggott temporarily lost power for six hours.

It was about 8 p.m. when power was restored.

I watched from a bedroom window while linemen in buckets repaired the damage to a transformer. There were two large white trucks with buckets.

On the side of the trucks was printed letters that spelled PIKE.

I gather they are crews that have been sent in from another state to help restore power to our area.

I've also seen many Entergy trucks in Rector and along Highway 49 as workmen replace broken poles and string new wires.

We are most grateful for all the outside help that has inundated our towns.

Our city and county fathers have worked tirelessly as they coordinate the various agencies that are needed at a time like this.

During the worst of times, I sought refuge at my daughter and son in law's home in Paragould.They were without power only two days and nights.

When I returned to my Piggott home last Thursday to attend to personal business, I was most surprised and pleased when I heard my refrigerator humming.

Power was on!

I had not expected that. I'm supposing it was restored last Wednesday or Thursday.

My cable television has not been restored as of this writing but, unlike some of my friends, I never lost phone service. I was able to use my rotary phone thoughout the power outage.

There are many human interests stories to come out of this ice storm.

We've heard some of them but there will be more.

Despite this stressful time, there are many reasons to be thankful.

We certainly will never forget the ice storm of 2009.