Before and after 3" ice storm

[jmorrow]

The first pictures were taken in the fall of 2008:
My front yard.



to the south of my house.


These pictures were taken on 1/28/09 after a 2"-3" ice storm put everyone in a 4 state area out of power.
Behind my house toward my tractor shedd.

Front yard.

Front yard, this is where my signature pic. was taken..

to the south of the house.

Back yard.


I was without electricity for 16 days, there were others out for 22 to 23 days. An ice storm at this magnitude was rare for northern Arkansas, even the older folks 70 to 95 year old said they had never seen a ice storm this bad. In 1994 we were without electricity for 5 days after an ice storm, in 2000 there was an ice storm but we (in my area) didn't loose power, There was a square mile area where I live that didn't loose power Several people were without power for two weeks.
For some people this was just a minor inconvenience (that's me), But for some people they were completely lost, no lights, TV, heat, refrigerator, water, and so on. :( I listen to a battery operated scanner (for entertainment) a lot during this time and there were several 911 calls to the police to go check on someone because they were at (quote) Witt's end because they were without electricity :(. One man in Paragould had even climbed up in a large tree and threatened to jump (they had a negotiator to talk him down) Needless to say portable generators sold like hot cakes for the first 5 day after the storm. Now generators are for sale everywhere. I think I'll keep mine," just in case". It took my wife and I a couple weekends but we finally got most of the broken limbs cut up and hauled off to a washout down by the creek. There are still some broken limbs in top of some large Oak trees we'll have to keep and eye on until they fall out. May have to wear a hard had to mow the lawn this summer.