by Kelli Kickham
Last year’s ice storm was a shock and an inconvenience to everyone, but while most were stuck home without power, there were still the few businesses that did whatever possible to stay open, and the employees that worked through the cold.
Chris is a delivery driver at a Tulsa area pizza restaurant.
While most businesses were closing their doors, their store was busy hooking up generators and bringing in more business.
“I worked every day of the ice storm,” Chris said. He was busy at work driving the roads that locals were warned to stay off of, and walking sometimes ten pound orders to the door on the icy sidewalks.
It wasn’t just outside that things were crazy, though. The delivery and carry-out only store was full of customers.
“We had a full staff, the customer area packed, and there was even a line outside. There was somewhere around 60 people waiting for their orders that first night, before we got the generator,” he said.
When their power finally did go out that night, the oven was full and there were around 30 or 40 angry people who had been waiting on their food over an hour.
“We ran close to an 80-order hour more than once during the ice storm. A normal busy hour on a Friday night is only around 50,” Chris said.
There were a number of people who ordered every day while their power was out.
“Everything about the ice storm was frustrating. Probably the worst of it, though, was that we couldn’t always get people their food even within an hour and a half, and they were often angry by the time we got there,” he said.
Chris also said that a lot of people didn’t tip, and some even thought they should have their orders free.
The customers were warned when they ordered that there was no guarantee how long it would be before their orders arrived, and many probably didn’t realize what the drivers were going through before they got their pizzas.
“You had to really watch out. There would be branches falling as you were driving down the road, branches falling as you were carrying the orders to their homes, and branches falling everywhere in-between,” Chris said. There were also so many branches already fallen that they “simply couldn’t get through some of the roads.”
He said that there wasn’t anything that anyone could do to make it better.
“It was horrible for everyone, nobody had any power, and they couldn’t cook,” Chris said.
His store was one of the few restaurants that stayed open while everyone was out of power, and he said a lot of people were “really thankful, they knew how bad it was out there for us, and they would have had trouble getting a meal if we didn’t come out.”
When Chris was asked whether there was any compensation for working that horrible week, he laughed and said, “Usually when you work in bad weather, you either get a bonus, or free food, but this time all we got was a t-shirt that said ‘I Survived the 2007 Ice Storm.’”
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
One year after the storm, Tulsans remember the chaos
By: Liza Mata
Jerry Holloway and his family did not anticipate the events of the Oklahoma Grand Ice Storm of 2007. A beautiful vision of “winter wonderland” ended up chaotically in a matter of days. His house was severely damaged, but he and his family made the best out of the situation.
The Holloways were out of electricity for eight days.
The first night of the storm was uneventful. Holloway said he and his family stayed at the house and heard branches falling outside.
Holloway said that the next morning, “We heard a limb fall and hit our house and walked outside.”
He said they started hearing “some really large cracks.” Holloway said that they noticed quite a few tree branches around their driveway, but “nothing that we couldn’t easily work around.”
The Holloways have very large trees around their driveway. Some of them are almost four feet wide and have limbs that are about the size of some trees, Holloway said.
Holloway was standing on his driveway seeing what was going to happen with some of those trees. He said they had a tree limb fall exactly in the center of their driveway “that was absolutely huge.”
Tree limbs continued to fall during the rest of the day. One fell on the house and pierced the roof all the way into the attic, but didn’t go all the way through, Holloway said.
“There were so many limbs down you couldn’t drive in and out of our house,” Holloway said.
However, they tried to make the best out of the situation.
Holloway said they were very fortunate to have a gas stove and battery-run water heaters in their house. They had plenty of wood in their fireplace and groceries.
He said they camped out by the fireplace with candles the first night without power.
Unique things happen at times when things appear to be bad, Holloway said.
Holloway went out to his garage and found an old generator that used to belong to his dad, who passed away in 2005.
That generator appeared to not have been used for over 30 years, he said. Holloway cleaned it and put gas in it and “the first time I pulled it, it started,” he said.
They were able to turn on some lights and the TV for a few days.
Like most people in Tulsa, they made it through “just on our camping skills,” Holloway said.
Holloway said that his worst experience was the fear of major damage to their home, from the trees that surround it. They could have lost their home.
When the electricity came back on, he said, everyone was elated. It was a great celebration.
His best experience was making fried pies in the fireplace with camping tools. His mother-in-law also stayed in his house. Holloway said it was a nice family time.
During the storm, they started to work with the help of some family friends to remove all the debris from his property.
Holloway said that they worked on repairs and removal of tree branches all the way into the spring.
Jerry Holloway and his family did not anticipate the events of the Oklahoma Grand Ice Storm of 2007. A beautiful vision of “winter wonderland” ended up chaotically in a matter of days. His house was severely damaged, but he and his family made the best out of the situation.
The Holloways were out of electricity for eight days.
The first night of the storm was uneventful. Holloway said he and his family stayed at the house and heard branches falling outside.
Holloway said that the next morning, “We heard a limb fall and hit our house and walked outside.”
He said they started hearing “some really large cracks.” Holloway said that they noticed quite a few tree branches around their driveway, but “nothing that we couldn’t easily work around.”
The Holloways have very large trees around their driveway. Some of them are almost four feet wide and have limbs that are about the size of some trees, Holloway said.
Holloway was standing on his driveway seeing what was going to happen with some of those trees. He said they had a tree limb fall exactly in the center of their driveway “that was absolutely huge.”
Tree limbs continued to fall during the rest of the day. One fell on the house and pierced the roof all the way into the attic, but didn’t go all the way through, Holloway said.
“There were so many limbs down you couldn’t drive in and out of our house,” Holloway said.
However, they tried to make the best out of the situation.
Holloway said they were very fortunate to have a gas stove and battery-run water heaters in their house. They had plenty of wood in their fireplace and groceries.
He said they camped out by the fireplace with candles the first night without power.
Unique things happen at times when things appear to be bad, Holloway said.
Holloway went out to his garage and found an old generator that used to belong to his dad, who passed away in 2005.
That generator appeared to not have been used for over 30 years, he said. Holloway cleaned it and put gas in it and “the first time I pulled it, it started,” he said.
They were able to turn on some lights and the TV for a few days.
Like most people in Tulsa, they made it through “just on our camping skills,” Holloway said.
Holloway said that his worst experience was the fear of major damage to their home, from the trees that surround it. They could have lost their home.
When the electricity came back on, he said, everyone was elated. It was a great celebration.
His best experience was making fried pies in the fireplace with camping tools. His mother-in-law also stayed in his house. Holloway said it was a nice family time.
During the storm, they started to work with the help of some family friends to remove all the debris from his property.
Holloway said that they worked on repairs and removal of tree branches all the way into the spring.
Ice storm anniversary evokes memories
By: Ashlee Lubniewski
In December of 2007, there was an ice storm so memorable that many say this December is the one year anniversary of the event that wreaked so much havoc on the city of Tulsa. This ice storm resulted in areas all over the city to be layered with thick ice. It also resulted in many residents who had no power for days, or even weeks, depending on their location in the city.
The ice storm left Tulsa citizens feeling helpless and wondering when they would once again have power and life would return to normal. The amount of damage done by the ice storm allowed it to be crowned with the name of the Great Tulsa Ice Storm of 2007, and the title of being one of the worst natural disasters that has ever struck the state of Oklahoma.
Ronnie-Rashaud Brown remembers the devastating effects that the ice storm took on his household at 5615 E. 23rd Street.
"I walked outside one morning to drive to school, and the huge tree in my front yard had fallen and blocked my entire driveway," said the University of Tulsa junior.
Trees such as the one that fell on Brown’s driveway not only kept people from getting to work and school, but also knocked out power all around the city, including Brown’s power.
"It was a long week with a tree blocking my driveway and no heat or power. Thankfully I had just gone shopping and had a lot of food in the house!" Brown said.
Brown recalls the difficulties of keeping up with classes and getting to work on time. After his power went out, it was only a matter of hours until his computer, cell-phone, and other electronics ran out of power and couldn’t be recharged.
Luckily Brown had friends who lived on campus at TU, where most residents had power thanks to backup generators. Brown, as well as many other commuting students, would visit friends on campus when they could to take showers and do laundry.
"I called friends on campus as soon as I could to arrange rides to campus for classes and work," Brown said. "I would always try and bring my phone and computer with me so that I could recharge them while I was there."
Brown slept at his house during the storm, attempting to keep rooms lit up with candles until he was ready to go to sleep, and remembers being bored without the luxuries of television and internet.
"I don’t think I spend too much time watching television or on the internet. But when I didn’t have those things for an extended period of time, I realized that I took for granted how occupied those things kept me when I wanted something to do," Brown said.
Brown is not alone when he expresses his gratitude that this December, Tulsa has not experienced anything near the ice storm that hit the city last year. As the rest of winter progresses, citizens hope that this winter will pass through with nothing more than some cold weather and the necessity of a heavy jacket or two.
In December of 2007, there was an ice storm so memorable that many say this December is the one year anniversary of the event that wreaked so much havoc on the city of Tulsa. This ice storm resulted in areas all over the city to be layered with thick ice. It also resulted in many residents who had no power for days, or even weeks, depending on their location in the city.
The ice storm left Tulsa citizens feeling helpless and wondering when they would once again have power and life would return to normal. The amount of damage done by the ice storm allowed it to be crowned with the name of the Great Tulsa Ice Storm of 2007, and the title of being one of the worst natural disasters that has ever struck the state of Oklahoma.
Ronnie-Rashaud Brown remembers the devastating effects that the ice storm took on his household at 5615 E. 23rd Street.
"I walked outside one morning to drive to school, and the huge tree in my front yard had fallen and blocked my entire driveway," said the University of Tulsa junior.
Trees such as the one that fell on Brown’s driveway not only kept people from getting to work and school, but also knocked out power all around the city, including Brown’s power.
"It was a long week with a tree blocking my driveway and no heat or power. Thankfully I had just gone shopping and had a lot of food in the house!" Brown said.
Brown recalls the difficulties of keeping up with classes and getting to work on time. After his power went out, it was only a matter of hours until his computer, cell-phone, and other electronics ran out of power and couldn’t be recharged.
Luckily Brown had friends who lived on campus at TU, where most residents had power thanks to backup generators. Brown, as well as many other commuting students, would visit friends on campus when they could to take showers and do laundry.
"I called friends on campus as soon as I could to arrange rides to campus for classes and work," Brown said. "I would always try and bring my phone and computer with me so that I could recharge them while I was there."
Brown slept at his house during the storm, attempting to keep rooms lit up with candles until he was ready to go to sleep, and remembers being bored without the luxuries of television and internet.
"I don’t think I spend too much time watching television or on the internet. But when I didn’t have those things for an extended period of time, I realized that I took for granted how occupied those things kept me when I wanted something to do," Brown said.
Brown is not alone when he expresses his gratitude that this December, Tulsa has not experienced anything near the ice storm that hit the city last year. As the rest of winter progresses, citizens hope that this winter will pass through with nothing more than some cold weather and the necessity of a heavy jacket or two.
Tulsa Ice Storm: One year later
Orien Landis looks at bare shelves at local grocery store during the 2007 ice storm.
Last December Northeast Oklahoma was hit by one of the worst storms in state history. It wasn’t a tornado or a flood but instead an ice storm. The storm which left many areas covered in several inches of ice knocked out power to 640,000 residents making it one of the worst natural disasters in state history.
Oklahoma residents lived without power for days and even weeks until utility companies could remove all the downed trees and power lines. Without heat or power residents scrambled to find warm places to weather the storm. For Matt Spencer that place was the home a friend.
“I had an apartment on the other side of the Arkansas river, across from downtown. I lost power for a little more than a week. After the first two days I decided I needed to go stay somewhere else,” Spencer said.
Spencer wasn’t the only person looking for a place to stay. Hotels with power were booked solid almost immediately leaving residents to call family and friends hoping someone would have power.
“My family was living in Edmond and I wasn’t about to try and drive there in the ice so I started calling all my friends. My friend Orien didn’t have power but he had a wood furnace so I stayed with him and a couple of other people,” Spencer said.
Not only did the ice storm knock out power to thousands of residents and businesses it also led to a rush on grocery stores and gas stations. People were buying every perishable food item they could because they didn’t know how long the power would be out. Gas stations were running out of gasoline with people buying gas to run their generators.
“After I got to Orien’s house we decided we should go pick up some milk and bread. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life! The shelves were all bare. It was like something you saw in pictures from the great depression or from a war zone. It was really weird. Needless to say we didn’t get any milk or bread,” Spencer said.
Spencer said he spent a week with his friend in Bixby until the power in his apartment was back on. While he’s grateful that he had a warm place to stay he doesn’t want to experience anything like that again.
“It was horrible. I’ve never felt so powerless in my life, and I’m not just talking about not having power. I hope I never have to go through anything like ever again.
Ice Storm Stories: The Great Ice Storm of 2007
By John Cope
Brenda Manasco remembers the sound of branches breaking during the Monday morning after the largest ice storm in recent memory hit
“It sounded like a ship breaking in half,” Manasco said.
The ice storm that hit
The ice that covered trees and power lines across the city resulted in the most massive power outage in
Due to the power outages and terrible conditions, very few schools, restaurants, and other businesses were open during the storm. The freezing temperatures, icy roads, and lack of electricity to help heat most people’s homes combined to create a very perilous situation.
Manasco, who lives near 11th and Harvard, was out of power for over a week. Manasco and her family used a gas stove to heat the house. When there was no ice to cool their food, Manasco simply went outside and put ice pellets that had fallen off trees into her cooler.
Manasco also used scented candles to help heat her home. She said that the entire scented candle aisles at Walmart and at the local Bass Pro Shop were cleared out.
Raquel Garcia, who lives in east
Garcia recounts that two of her next door neighbors tried to keep their house warm with a charcoal grill. After a time, the neighbors came to Garcia’s house, where she found that they had apparently inhaled carbon monoxide.
Garcia called 911 to get the neighbors medical attention. The paramedics took the neighbors to the hospital.
Carmen Lau, a resident of
“Sometimes nature calls the shots,” Lau said.
Cheryl Taylor, who lives in the neighborhood northwest of 61st and Lewis, also had vivid memories of the ice storm.
“There were tree limbs in my driveway and up and down the street,”
Alicia Grass, a PTA board member for
Grass, like many others, ended up seeking solace at a house that had power. Grass went to her grandmother’s house south of
Grass said that she and her family played lots of board and card games to cope with the situation.
“If it happens again,” Grass said, “I’m so moving further south.”
Many trees had branches collapse under the weight of ice during the
December 2007 ice storm that hit Tulsa, leaving many roads partially
blocked or even totally impassable. Photo by Brenda Manasco.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Ice Storms in Tulsa
How to Deal: Oklahoma Disaster
By: Ty Page
State-wide weather emergency alerts could not prepare residents of Oklahoma for the ice storm claimed as a natural disaster during the month of December last year, which caused many to lose power in their homes and work. The storm was one to be reckoned with along with the extreme amounts of damage that took place.
Many were faced with making the decision to cope with the power outage while staying at home or seek shelter elsewhere depending on their family and financial situations.
Not only were Oklahoma residents living in rural areas faced with this problem, many bigger city dwellers were forced to deal without electricity and power as well.
“It definitely brought our family closer together because during this time, we were all each other had,” Keith Blalock stated.
Blalock looked back at the situation and explained the tough times his family faced, but tried to point out the positive aspects of the experience. His family consists of his wife and three children who all decided to remain in their home.
The Blalocks lost power for a duration of five days, which was relatively mild compared to other families.
“We decided to keep a fire going in our fireplace and camp out in the living room together,” Blalock said.
As for food, Blalock said they ate most of their meals out of the home since they could not use their kitchen. They also took showers at a relative’s house who maintained power through a generator.
Not all people had the choice of remaining in their homes during this troubling storm.
“All I could remember was a sea of white outside and the trees looked fake with ice covering every inch of them,” Carrie Smith explained.
Smith, a single resident in Tulsa, lived by herself in a home in Tulsa with no family.
When the storm happened, she decided there was no way she could stay at her house by herself.
“I made the decision to stay at a hotel for two weeks with a friend,” Smith said, “I felt like there was no way I would survive this on my own, emotionally or physically.”
Smith was not alone with these feelings. Many Oklahoma residents felt great amounts of stress during and after the ice storm.
After the ice melted and most people regained electricity in their homes, there was still a huge amount of damage to be dealt with.
“I decided to help out my local neighborhood by clearing out branches from driveways and helping elder residents with damage to their homes,” Smith said.
Smith along with many other Tulsa residents participated in similar activities to help reclaim a normal life subsequent to the storm.
“The storm was destructive no doubt, but I think it showed how we Oklahoma residents could pull together and weather such a disaster,” Blalock said.
All in all, most Oklahoma residents can look back at the ice storm in the winter of 2007 and be thankful the situation is over. As for similar events in the future, residents seem to have a better grasp at how to handle such a devastating circumstance.
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