Scribbles by ME

The Icy Storm from Hell Part 1

The worst ice storm to ever hit Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana struck with a driving, frigid fury.  As I begin this account of our trials before, during, and after the storm, there are still over 1 million people without electricity……six days after the storm began to hurl itself upon us paralyzing millions of Americans.

Monday, January 23, 2009 started like any mundane Monday morning.  Our students buzzed with anticipation of a possible "snow" coming. Teachers and student alike thought Oh, boy!  A day or two off from school.  Teachers are as excited about snow days as any student.  None of us imagined what Mother Nature planned for us. As I continued to meet my classes throughout the day, I prepared for any possibility.  I instructed the students about class plans for any foreseeable school closing or non-school closing. I told them what would be due if we missed no school, one day, or two days of school.  As the day crawled by I continued to monitor the weather forecasts but was not especially concerned. In fact, the radar maps convinced me the coming precipitation would be sporadic.  I hoped the storm might accidentally miss us.

By the end of the day, the forecast said one-fourth inch of ice on Monday night, continued ice--up to an inch--by Tuesday, and Wednesday would be snow. The sky darkened as the day progressed and looked like precipitation was imminent. I felt that I would be able to make the hour's drive home before the storm--if it was coming--arrived.

I thought about a time five years earlier when we were without electricity for three days due to an ice storm.  We purchased a kerosene heater in case we should ever need it again.  I felt fortunate that we had the heater and called my husband to ask if he would get it out of the storage shed and clean it just in case.  I assured him I would stop by Wal-Mart in the town where I teach and pick up some kerosene.

The Thayer Wal-Mart was all out of kerosene.  This did not clue me in. It is a small store and didn't carry an excess of goods.  I could stop at another larger Wal-Mart in Ash Flat about half-way home.

Arriving at the Ash Flat store, I was stunned to find they had no kerosene and I panicked.  I must have scared the frazzled store associate by my reaction.  Feeling sorry for me, he told me where I might be able to get some, but that I would need my own containers.  He drew me a map clarifying where to go which was thirty minutes back the way I had just traveled, albeit, via another route.  Next stop was to get gasoline containers.    The store only had three two-gallon containers left.  Obviously the inhabitants in our area kept up with the weather better than we and had cleaned the store our of many items.  I bought two  containers and went to the car praying that I would be able to get some kerosene, but I still didn't think we really would need it.  I just wanted to err on the side of safety.  I find it very interesting how we can delude ourselves.

My kerosene cost me $5 a gallon and I was proud to pay it.  I probably should mention that I live in the middle of nowhere on 80 acres.  We are six miles from the nearest town of 400 people and live three miles off the blacktop.  Yes, folks, that's a dusty, gravelly road.  You would know immediately what type of road I live on if you could see the back end of our vehicle.  I could wash it everyday; and by the time I returned home, it would still be caked in dust.  The first year I taught at Thayer, my students enjoyed writing WASH ME in big letters across the back.  They finally gave up because they couldn't get a rise out of me and they discovered I was likely never going to wash it.  But, I digress.

Minuscule sleet began to fall as I pulled into our circular driveway.  I was overjoyed to be home with my four gallons of kerosene and crucial grocery items......milk, eggs, and popcorn.

Several hours later the sleet began to pelt everything outside.  It was thick, heavy and dense sleet.  Can you remember  driving in a blinding rainstorm? The kind that necessitated your pulling off the road because the wipers could no longer keep the windshield clear?  That's exactly what we were getting, but it was ice.  We had to turn the television very high to drown out the BAM! BAM! BAM! of sleet hitting our metal roof.  I monitored the weather closely and was amazed by the intensity and duration of the sleet.  There was no doubt, there would be no school the next day. 

I put several old towels into the dryer to warm them up for the dogs and cats on the front porch.  Poor things.  They were shaking so badly my heart almost broke.  However, there are two enclosed sheds available for their use.  I didn't birth them dumb.  I just raised them.  Also, just so you will know for future reference, there seems to be no discernible difference in their IQ's in spite of the fact one is registered and one came from the dog pound.

At eleven o'clock we went to bed.  The sleet had not let up since it started.  I wouldn't know because I can sleep through anything.  My husband is a light sleeper and was up off and on all night because of the racket. 

Thusly, we ended our first day of the Ice Storm from Hell.