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 Tulsa last year.

“It sounded like a ship breaking in half,” Manasco said.

The ice storm that hit Tulsa and the surrounding area in December of 2007 was one of the most adverse weather events that has occurred in the Tulsa area in a long time. A large wintry mix of precipitation hit in the overnight hours between Saturday, December 8^th and Sunday, December 9^th.

The ice that covered trees and power lines across the city resulted in the most massive power outage in Tulsa in recent memory. Most people in the city experienced an outage for some amount of time, and some residents were out of power for weeks.

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 11^th 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 Tulsa near 31^st and Garnett, lost her power for four days.

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 Broken Arrow, had to have her scheduled back surgery postponed for two days because of the ice storm. Her family was without power for two days.

Lau and her family found refuge at her brother’s house.

“Sometimes nature calls the shots,” Lau said.

Cheryl Taylor, who lives in the neighborhood northwest of 61^st and Lewis, also had vivid memories of the ice storm.

“There were tree limbs in my driveway and up and down the street,” Taylor said. “It was a war zone.”

Taylor had an offer for a free two-night stay at a hotel, but she didn’t take it because she was worried her dogs would freeze in the house. Her house was only about 25 degrees without heat, so she stayed by the fireplace through the cold nights.

Alicia Grass, a PTA board member for Eliot Elementary school, was out of power for ten days because of the storm. Her family tried to get a hotel room once they realized the severity of the storm, but to no avail.

Grass, like many others, ended up seeking solace at a house that had power. Grass went to her grandmother’s house south of Norman. However, her husband was forced to stay and tough out the conditions because he owns a framing company.

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.