Posted on 01/27/2010 5:38:55 PM PST by Star Traveler
By BARBARA HOBEROCK
World Capital Bureau
Published: 1/27/2010 6:18 PM
Last Modified: 1/27/2010 6:18 PM
Gov. Brad Henry Wednesday evening declared a state of emergency for all 77 counties in anticipation of a winter storm expected to hit the state Thursday and Friday.
Because the weather could include an ice storm and widespread power outages, emergency management authorities said it was important to issue the declaration Wednesday night before the storm so weight and size limits on state roadways could be waived to allow heavy power company vehicles to position across the state.
"Our hope is the storm will not be as severe as many weather models have predicted, but we will be ready to respond to anything," Henry said.
The declaration provides a formal mechanism for local governments to seek reimbursement and recovery costs through the state's disaster public assistance program.
The order is also the first step toward seeking federal aid should it be necessary.
A companion order signed by Henry waives certain size and weight restrictions for vehicles that will be needed to move emergency response equipment and supplies.
"We began preparing for the winter storm earlier this week by pre-positioning assets across the state and putting the proper personnel in the field," Henry said. "As the storm moves through Oklahoma, we will ramp up our response efforts. State troopers, National Guard personnel, emergency management officials, road crews and other first responders will all be on call, helping Oklahomans everywhere they can."
Henry urged residents to be aware of weather conditions and not to take any unnecessary risks.
"This may be a very dangerous winter storm and we want Oklahomans to stay safe," Henry said.
Lets hope the damage is minimal!!!!
The Trucker News Services
1/27/2010
OKLAHOMA CITY — Weather forecasters say a storm rolling out of the Four Corners region today with snow, ice and rain is set to disrupt lives and travel from the southern Plains to the mid-South and the mid-Atlantic over the balance of the week.
According to AccuWeather forecaster Alex Sosnowski, enough snow or ice will fall along the Interstate 40 corridor that part of the major cross-country highway may shut down.
Truckers are encouraged to monitor weather reports beginning Wednesday evening.
The area from Amarillo to Oklahoma City will be the first to be hard-hit by the winter storm Thursday, he predicted.
The next stops for the eastward-moving storm include Little Rock, Cape Girardeau, Memphis and Nashville by Friday, he added.
Before the snow winds down on Friday, a foot of snow could be on the ground in Amarillo, Tulsa and Springfield, Mo. An inch of ice could accrue on trees and power lines in or near Oklahoma City, Sosnowski said.
For much of the southern Plains, the snow will follow a period of rain, sleet and freezing rain.
The combination of the snow, ice and in some cases plunging temperatures following the rain will make untreated roads and sidewalks extremely treacherous.
Where the freezing rain persists for an extended period of time, downed trees and utility lines will result in lengthy power outages. Winds gusting between 30 and 40 mph will add to this problem.
During Friday night and Saturday, the winter storm will spread its substantial snow and ice eastward across Kentucky, Tennessee and the central East Coast states.
By Debbie Blossom
Published: January 27, 2010
Southwest Airlines is canceling dozens of flights Thursday out of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa airports because of the winter storm warning.
Some early morning flights will leave Will Rogers World Airport and Tulsa International, but all afternoon flights have been canceled, said Southwest spokeswoman Ashley Rogers.
Passengers booked on Thursday flights should check Southwest's Web site at southwest.com, where information on the winter storm is posted. Passengers also can check a flight's status at the airline's toll-free reservations line at 800-435-9792.
In Tulsa, airport officials met with airlines serving Tulsa International Airport to review flight schedules and discuss preparations being made in anticipation of the upcoming winter weather, said Tulsa airport spokeswoman Alexis Higgins.
If weather permits, several early flights to Houston, Dallas and St. Louis will depart, Higgins said.
The airport is expected to have updates on several airlines operating out of Tulsa at 5:30 p.m. today, including American Airlines, Continental, Delta, Frontier and United, she said.
A spokeswoman for American Airlines said the airline has not made a decision on Thursday's operations in Oklahoma.
By Paula Burkes
Published: January 27, 2010
With another winter storm looming, Oklahoma City consumers have been snapping up generators faster than retailers can say snow. By mid-morning today, Lowe's on Second Street in Edmond was sold out. Several stores had few left, while others are awaiting emergency shipments.
"We had four this morning, but we sold them all between 8 and 11, said Vickie Atwood, administrative manager of the Ace Hardware at 2119 NW 23. By noon, the store had only the display model, a 5,000-kilowatt generator that retails for $700.
Atwood didn't know about the inventory status at Ace stores metrowide.
"I have no clue," she said. "There's been no chance to even look up." Other customers, she said, are buying snow melt, snow shovels and more.
At Crosslands Rental at NW 29 and Santa Fe, manager Mike Staton estimates he wrote at least 20 tickets for rental generators this morning. He had only two units remaining and expected those to be gone this afternoon.
Larry Hair, general manager of Steve's Wholesale guesses they've sold several hundred units and still have several on stock at the company's six Oklahoma City stores. The widest array is at 8100 S Santa Fe, Hair said.
"Folks are pouring in from everywhere looking at them," he said. Depending on size, generators cost from $350 to $1,000, he said, with the basic 5,000-kilowatt selling for $550 to $600.
By 1 p.m., Central Power Equipment in Warr Acres had only about a dozen generators left, co-owner Chris Montgomery said. Since yesterday, he'd sold 75.
"It's been a lot of fun; we like it," Montgomery said. "The more weathermen scare people the more we sell."
O'Connor's Lawn and Garden, 2244 NW 140, has exhausted the 100 generators it had in stock yesterday, Sean O'Connor said. But more than 100 customers have prepaid for one of some 650 generators O'Connor is having trucked in from Dallas, Louisiana and Chicago.
He was expecting the truck to arrive at 3 p.m.
"We're trying to get them all here by 10 tomorrow morning," O'Connor said.
dah dah....where is Cantore, and all those "storm chasers"....
“Lets hope the damage is minimal!!!!”
Amen to that! Prayers to all that are there!
So by declaring a state of emergency before there is an emergency, would that be like me declaring bankruptcy before I was bankrupt?
We have our own storm chasers right here in OK that are on all the news channels and also the ones for the Storms Prediction Center. We see all kinds of SUV’s driving around Norman with the various instruments on the top of the car. Every TV station puts people out in the field with cameras they feed back to the station.
During tornado season we get storm chasers from The Weather Channel that stay here in Norman to report and follow the tornadoes.
BTW, it is 59 degrees here right now and was 66 degrees and sunny most of the afternoon.
University of Oklahoma is home to the HQ of the National Weather Service and Storms Prediction Center. I was by there tonight on the way back from picking up BBQ and lot of people working tonight. The new facility is awesome!
where is Cantore, and all those "storm chasers"....
It gets very difficult to "chase storms" on super-icy roads, with limbs in the streets and highways and with all state highways and Interstates closed in the state (like happened a month ago with the Christmas Blizzard of 2009 ... LOL....
So by declaring a state of emergency before there is an emergency, would that be like me declaring bankruptcy before I was bankrupt?
You might have more money left over, after all was said and done... LOL...
BTW, it is 59 degrees here right now and was 66 degrees and sunny most of the afternoon.
It's now 51 in Tulsa, and it was 60 degrees for a high today with beautiful clear skies.
But, the clouds started moving in from the west and the wind has shifted from the South (before 6 PM) to solidly from the West, as of right now. So, the storm is moving solidly into the state right now.
he must remember the last ice storm....
Van’s BBQ?
DONATE TO FR NOW!
he must remember the last ice storm....
Yeah, who could forget that December 2007 Ice Storm, the worst in state history with almost one million people in the state without power and some for a couple of weeks. We were without power for about five days and we're in Tulsa... :-)
Ahhh yes... before the power goes out here... LOL...
Posted 2010-01-27
What could be a catastrophic ice storm from Amarillo to Oklahoma is shaping up to be a severe threat to power lines in the region Thursday.
AccuWeather.com meteorologists expect Tulsa and Oklahoma City to receive up to an inch or more of total ice accumulation out of this system.
This storm, set to begin midday Thursday and last through the weekend, could create a dangerous mixture of a re-frozen ice glaze, which could be especially devastating to power structures.
"Serious damage to electrical infrastructure could mean days, if not weeks, without power," said Mike Smith, Corporate Executive Officer for Weather Data, Inc. out of Wichita.
Weeks without power could result if the affected areas are in rural regions and if transmission towers collapse, causing the electric infrastructure to need rebuilt.
The winter 2009 Kentucky ice storm caused power outages for more than three weeks, making it the worst natural disaster in the history of the state.
This all comes in light of Quanta Services, Inc., one of the nation's largest electrical maintenance providers, reporting that utilities have decreased maintenance spending by as much as 50 percent.
However, because of the magnitude of ice expected to hit Oklahoma, ice storm maintenance may do little to help possible destruction.
"In a small to moderate ice storm, maintenance can help mitigate damage," said Smith. "But, with the ice that is expected in Oklahoma, it probably does not matter."
Story by AccuWeather.com's Carly Porter.
The 07 ice storm will be remembered for a very long time, I live in Bethany (far west OKC) and we were without power from the morning of Dec 9 until late in the afternoon of the 22nd, couldn’t get a motel room and no generators to be found, without electricity you are totally out of everything
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