Let's be thankful

[Clay]

Just got off the phone with my grandfather in Jonesboro, AR (they were directly hit). The report was VERY bad. Basically the power is out and they are sitting in their basement running gas stoves that they have down there. They are also housing neighbors and friends who cannot heat their homes. Seems like he told me 5 or 6 people would stay with them at night until power was back on. No damage was received to their home but many sustained damage. If you know that area at all then you know they have TONS of pine trees. Estimates of 40,000 people in a town of 60,000 are out of power. I quote from the phone call "there's no telling when we'll get power back, no telling." Many pine trees have fallen on roadways and before crews could get out with chainsaws roads were impassible due to limbs and trees on the roadway. Be thankful the ice just missed us.

[servocrow]

I got a similar call from my parents.  They are housing all my siblings who don't have power right now.  My StepMom said it is pretty bad where they are too.  A bunch of the big branches are down..and one of the neighbors trees fell in their yard.  They live in Elizabethtown, KY.

We dodged one that is for sure.

[Thundersnow]

Clay, I don't even think Jonesboro saw the worst of it.  "Ground Zero" may be southeast Missouri and further north in Arkansas.  The Paducah area was apparently devastated by this.  I suspect we're going to start hearing about just how bad it really is.

Up to 3 inches of ice was expected in some of those areas.

I suspect we're talking about hundreds of square miles of broken and uprooted trees.  It will look like a hurricane went through there when the ice melts.

[Clay]

Clay, I don't even think Jonesboro saw the worst of it.  "Ground Zero" may be southeast Missouri and further north in Arkansas.  The Paducah area was apparently devastated by this.  I suspect we're going to start hearing about just how bad it really is.

Up to 3 inches of ice was expected in some of those areas.

I suspect we're talking about hundreds of square miles of broken and uprooted trees.  It will look like a hurricane went through there when the ice melts.

You're close. They said it "looks like a tornado has come through" and they have seen their fair share of those through the years.

[Thundersnow]

I only said hurricane instead of tornado because of the widespread nature of it.

We're talking about whole forests of trees that have been broken to pieces, more than likely.

[Clay]

Right. I just found interesting the way it was described.

[Susan in Macon]

I have a friend near Paducah and haven't been able to get ahold of her since yesterday around 2:00.  The last I heard from her, she and her family were staying with a friend who had a wood stove.  No idea if she has any damage to her house or anything else.

[Clay]

Thankfully my folks had a older rotation dail phone that requires no power to operate.

[StormNine]

We had an old phone we were lucky we were only out for 11 hours.  Most people across West KY it will take days to recover.

  Only bad thing is there are still tree limbs that could fall.

[luv4tn]

Thankfully my folks had a older rotation dail phone that requires no power to operate.

I wonder how many people think about that when they buy the newest gimmick loaded phone.

[StormNine]

  I got news on yahoo that people will be without power in West KY just to my north and west till Valentine's Day maybe longer. 

[dwagner88]

check out this picture:


it was taken across the street from the NWS in paducah after the storm was over. those trees look absolutely tortured.

[servocrow]

Incredible damage.   

[StormNine]

I got a message on my blogspot describing Mayfield KY as if a tornado hit the town.  Their water main is devastated and the town is running out of water.  Only 2 stores are open in town.  Power may not get restored till Valentines day in the area.  My prayers are with them.

I will be getting a lot stronger to lifting all the branches after we have what is called "FallDown".  In which a thaw causes the icy branches to fall down to the ground so that I can pick them up.

[Eric]

Thankfully my folks had a older rotation dail phone that requires no power to operate.

Actually, any phone, rotary or touchtone will work, unless it is connected to power...like a cordless phone.  The phone company produces it's own power through the two sides of a telephone line...one side is the battery and the other side the ground.  That's why the electric companies ask that you call them when the power is out.  Phones will still work if they aren't connected to power.