Next wave of severe storms on way
Pastor Dale Morgan
Next wave of severe storms on way*
* Story Highlights
* NEW: Two waves of snow in Missouri Friday and Saturday could dump
up to 7 inches
* Winter weather watches in effect for the northwest two-thirds of
Oklahoma
* More than a quarter million still without power in Oklahoma,
Kansas, Missouri
* Storm system's death toll up to 38 over several days
(AP) -- Americans from Oklahoma to New England are bracing for more
harsh winter weather as a storm system continues to bring waves of misery.
David Strosberg clears snow from a driveway in Albany, New York, Friday.
The National Weather Service issued winter weather watches for the
northwest two-thirds of Oklahoma from Friday afternoon through Saturday
morning.
Between 2 and 6 inches of snow was predicted for parts of Kansas and
Oklahoma, said meteorologist Ken Harding.
By late Friday afternoon, snow was already falling on the outskirts of
Oklahoma City.
In Missouri, the National Weather Service said two waves of snow Friday
night and Saturday could dump up to 7 inches. Video Watch what's in
store for Friday and Saturday »
The second wintry blast could complicate efforts to restore power to the
more than 280,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri
still blacked out after the first storm put a million customers in the
dark at its height this week.
That storm, which coated much of the Plains in ice before moving dumping
snow on the Northeast, has killed at least 38 people, mostly in traffic
accidents. It has been blamed for 23 deaths in Oklahoma alone. Photo See
photos of the storm »
An Xcel Energy serviceman working to restore power in an Oklahoma City
neighborhood peppered by toppled trees said Friday that he expected the
new storm to hamper recovery efforts, but not create massive new power
failures.
"All this kind of work is safety-based, so any time you get another
weather aspect, then there goes another safety factor," said Scott Falkner.
Weather Service meteorologist Pete Snyder agreed with that assessment.
"For crews that are out there trying to restore power, it'd be more of a
headache," Snyder said.
The storm also threatened to steal manpower from efforts to clear fallen
trees. Dan Crossland, a public works official in Tulsa, said almost
every city crew removing downed tree limbs will be spun off to clear the
streets when the second storm comes.
"I intend to stay on 12-hour shifts until every street is clear,"
Crossland said. "These guys are dragging."
The Kansas National Guard continued to deliver generators and supplies
to communities, knowing more would be needed.
The first storm changed from ice to snow as it blew into the Northeast,
dumping 2 inches to a foot across the region and catching many
municipalities by surprise, even after it wreaked havoc to the west. See
how winter storms form »
Some commuters in Boston spent eight hours driving home Thursday
evening, and public school buses were still dropping off students at 11 p.m.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick defended the state's storm response
Friday after meeting with public safety, transportation and emergency
officials.
"People were asked to leave early, and they didn't," Patrick said. "What
would have helped, I think in this case, would have been a more uniform
early release."
As the snow fell, traffic on Rhode Island highways backed up past the
Massachusetts state line, and about 300 vehicles got stuck or collided
with others.
Providence Mayor David Cicilline ordered an investigation into why
dozens of school buses got stranded on city streets.
But while the worst was over in the Northeast, at least for now, Plains
residents continued to cope with maintaining the basics.
Bill Weaver, a Tulsa resident who moved here two years ago to escape
hurricane-battered New Orleans, waited in his frigid home Friday for the
electricity to be turned back on, deadpanning: "So, here we are."
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He had two gas-log fireplaces going, warming about a third of his home.
"It doesn't keep the showers warm," Weaver said. "It's cold baths."