ICE STORMS: 2007 AND 2017

0
365

Most of us remember the ice storm just before Christmas in 2007 and how much trouble we had that time. We were not really prepared for that one. At least we weren’t at my house.

I don’t remember if that one was predicted, but we had no way to really get prepared anyway. We didn’t have a generator so we were just at the mercy of the storm. The limbs were fairly good size that came down and needed a chain saw to get them taken care of and a large dumpster delivered to the driveway from the trash company. But we only had minor roof damage.

Hutchinson was so lucky to have the crews that we had here in town and they got us back with power pretty fast, for all the damage and lines down that the city had. Our area of Blue Spruce was out of power for a week.

We were so glad to see the crew working when they arrived at the south entrance to our addition. They were a really nice crew from North Carolina and were taking the chance of missing Christmas at home to help us out and get our homes back on with lights and heat.

When I talked to the flagman on Monroe at the south entrance to Blue Spruce on the day they arrived in our addition, about lunch time, he said they would have us back on and we would all have electricity by mid afternoon. And that afternoon the lights came back on.

The crew left town two days before Christmas and said they would be home by Christmas Eve by driving straight through. I hope they made it in time because they gave us the best Christmas present of all that year: lights and heat.

The long predicted ice storm of Jan. 14-15 this year did not bring as much ice or cause as much damage as predicted around Hutchinson, or at least at our house on North Monroe. There was ice on the car on the drive and some icicles hanging from the metal roofs on the bird feeders but not enough ice on the trees to cause much damage in our yard.

Our area was spared this time from the tree limbs falling on the roofs and damaging them. We were luckier than Wichita with the ice that formed over there on the roads and off ramps the first night it hit.

It must have been terrifying to be in that 20 car pileup on that off ramp. And how in the world did the police and tow trucks ever make any sense of that many cars piled up or get them all untangled. Must have taken hours to get them all moved off the ramp.

This year we were as ready as you can be for a storm like they predicted. The generator was in the garage, ready to roll out and plug in. The house had been wired so all my husband had to do was plug it in on the outside and it went right into the electrical panel. Then shut off the outside power line to the house, switch on the breaker for the generator, turn on the generator and choose what you wanted to run and flip the switches in the panel.

I had water saved in gallon jugs and some in the bathtub since we are on well water. All the laundry was done and all the dishes were kept washed up. We had cooked up some meals and had things ready to just warm up on the gas burner on the grill that was sitting in the garage too. And the kerosene heaters were filled and ready to go if it was still raining and the generator couldn’t go outside.

I slept that first night with one ear and one eye open listening for the sound of tree limbs breaking and landing on the house. After one experience of hearing the cracking and splintering of tree limbs you are tuned in to that sound. Then all you can do is wait for the crash and find out what branch fell on the house or patio.

At least by noon on Sunday the 15th we were out of the danger zone and it started warming up and that was a great thing when it started to melt off the roads and branches. It sounded like large hail when the ice started to fall off the limbs in long tubular pieces. Sure was noisy for a few hours.

I am spoiled or have become wimpy maybe. I am used to having electricity and all the luxuries that go along with it. Everything I would want to do in the house needs electricity.

Maybe I would get used to never having electricity again but sure would be hard to get along without my computer, which allows me to write. I would also miss the internet and especially television that keeps me entertained

If we never had another ice storm again I would be happy. I was really relieved that there was such a difference in the ice storms of 2007 and 2017 around our area and grateful this one was not as bad. To contact Sandy: [email protected].

 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here