Ice Storms Lash Much of Country
Pastor Dale Morgan
Ice Storms Lash Much of Country*
Sunday January 14, 2007 11:31 PM
By SEAN MURPHY
Associated Press Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The ice storms that have been blamed for at least
19 deaths continued to lash much of the nation Sunday, as crews tried to
restore power to hundreds of thousands and slick roads spawned accidents.
Waves of freezing rain, sleet and snow since Friday have caused at least
10 deaths in Oklahoma, six in Missouri, two in Texas and one in New York.
Seven adults were killed early Sunday near Elk City, Okla., when the
minivan they were in hit a slick spot on Interstate 40, crossed the
median and hit a tractor-trailer, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said about 300,000 households there remained
without power on Sunday. About 350 National Guardsmen were going door to
door checking on residents in the hardest-hit areas and were helping to
clear slick roads of tree limbs and power lines.
``We have what appears to be a three-wave storm,'' he said. ``We're in
the final wave of it.''
Nearly 150,000 customers lacked power in Oklahoma, utilities reported.
In Nebraska, which has been pummeled by winter storms in the past month,
the weekend storm dropped even more snow, making roads treacherous.
As the storm faded from the nation's midsection, parts of the East began
to suffer.
In Albany, N.Y., a 22-year-old fell about 90 feet from a bridge to a
road below after climbing a railing to avoid being hit by a sliding car.
He had gotten out of his vehicle around 2 a.m. after a crash.
In Syracuse, N.Y., Interstate 81 was closed for about two hours after
about 30 cars were involved in six accidents early Sunday. Several
people were taken to hospitals.
The storm system was expected to continue heading northeast, said
National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pedigo. While the Ohio region
could see rain Monday afternoon, lower Michigan and parts of New England
could see more than a foot of snow.
In the St. Louis region, about 150,000 people remained without power
Sunday afternoon, after a pattern of freezing and thaws.
``We've had three real pushes of rainfall,'' said National Weather
Service meteorologist Jim Kramper.
One was Friday, one Saturday and a third came Sunday afternoon and
persisted into the evening.
Anthony Younger, 29, on a break from his job as a fast-food restaurant
manager, said his family has lost power three times in stormy weather
since this summer, once for about two weeks, he said.
``Here we go again,'' he said when his power went out in the St. Louis
suburb of Florissant this weekend. It has since been restored.
Severe storms in July led to a power blackout of several days in the St.
Louis area.
Younger said relatives now are in the habit of checking in with one
another, figuring out who still has electricity and shuttling between
residences.
Despite his experience, weather-related disruptions don't get easier, he
said. ``You never get used to it.''
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Associated Press writers Betsy Taylor in St. Louis and Timberly Ross in
Omaha, Neb., contributed to this report.