Ice Storm 2009 Arkansas Missouri Oklahoma - Real Photos and Poem
62In 2009, a major Ice Storm hit Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and many other surrounding states. Many people were without power for days or even weeks. People suffered property losses—homes, trees, fences. Personally, I was thankful to be able to slide in to work every day (picked up by a four-wheel drive) to get out of my cold house, which was frigid for three days. As I work in a skilled nursing facility, we are always open, but even there, Mother Nature made us wait out nearly 22 hours without electricity.
Those days were cold, dark, and scary. The first night sounded like a warzone or hundreds of fireworks going off at once as trees grew heavy with the ice and cracked and fell. It was dangerous to be outside for days as limbs continued to crack under the pressure and fall.
Those dreary days took their toll on us. People were cold, tired, and frustrated, and took it out on each other. Many of us felt powerless, as powerless as the homes we lived in. All we could do was wait for it to end.
Desperation inspired a poem...
Powerless
As the ice fell and the trees cracked,
I held my hands over my ears
And looked around in disbelief
As the tree next to the house split into.
Little Trudy Jane, with her round green eyes
Large on her soft orange face,
Pounced across the patio
and in through the
sliding glass door. I followed.
The fire flickered but gave off little warmth.
The dog lay nearby, curled up in blankets.
Even the cats were slow tonight,
Snuggled all in the same room, soft and still.
The candles burned, hopelessly.
I fanned the fire with an old hand fan.
But the temperature hovered at 40.
It refused to rise.
I pulled my hat down on my ears,
Grabbed another blanket,
Sat down by the animals,
Watching their rising and falling bodies.
I stifled a cry as another branch broke—
And then another.
Fear made me still.
I sank deeper into the quilts.
Powerless.
Ice Storm Photos on Ebay
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NY DISASTER 1909 ICE STORM Devastating Storm Antique Photograph by Martin Naylor
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5 Old Photo Post Cards B&W Family Portraits and Scene of Ice Storm Damage
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1959 Press Photo Mundelein Illinois Area Ice Storm
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MC PHOTO adk-197 Sigourney Weaver THE ICE STORM
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MC PHOTO adm-835 Movie THE ICE STORM Ang Lee
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Vintage Photos Man & Dog in Winter Snow & Ice Storm 741856
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I know. Nature can cause a lot of harm and pain. I appreciate your stopping by, looking, and commenting.
i also have to comment that i like the timing of your hub, a good read when for that area of the country that has been experiencing imberable heat this summer!
Good poing, BWD. That time in my life started a year that was painful in many ways. Lots of things--many painful--happened that year that were tough. I was just thinking about it all. I would like cooler weather, but not the extremities that brought the pain of that time in my life. Thanks for commenting. Very astute comments.
*point, not poing. haha. It's been a long day!
We experienced a huge ice storm in NC one year--lost bunches of tall pines. Power was out in much of the state for over a week.
I prefer snow to ice, most definitely.
Yeah, kschimmel, my neighbors lost tall pines, some of which fell on my shed in my back yard. Last year we had 24 inches of snow, instead. Extreme winters. Before that, we normally only had --MAYBE--a few snows, but they weren't a big deal. The last few winters have been brutal, though. So has the spring, and now the summer. we were used to moderate seasons around here. Oh, well. Maybe we're do for a moderate year! Thanks for your comment!
Nature can be awesome and it can be terrifying.
Beautifully captured in your poem, fantastic pictures.
Thank you for sharing.
Movie Master--I agree with your comment abut nature. Ice Storm 2009 was a rough time. While there is something almost beautiful about the ice pictures, I still can't look at them without feeling the cold and the dread. Thanks for your compliments.
Victoria, I lived in SE Kansas...just above the Oklahoma state line (80 miles from Tulsa) and we experienced the same thing...lots of broken, shredded tree limbs, power outages..it was awful. you've described it perfectly. Our house didn't get very warm from the fire, either...it reminded me of a movie I saw about 8 years ago...with Dennis Quaid...everything was totally frozen over and they were burning books, furniture, everything in order to survive. YIKES! All ups!!
Thanks for the comments, Lucky Cats. So, that's where you moved to California from, huh? Yes, it was scary and awful--and so cold. I would pray for the electricity to come on. I would take a shot of warm whiskey (or two), dress in many layers, fan the candles, and get out lots of blankets to curl up for the night with my dog and 5 feline heaters! It is still hard to think about that time. Sometimes the frustration would lead me to tears.
This reminds of the blizzard that we had this past winter here in NJ. Though it's not quite as bad as what you've experienced in Arkansas, it was devastating. Mother nature could be unpleasant sometimes. Regardless, I love snow and your pictures are so beautiful!
Thanks, happypuppy, for reading another of my hubs. Yes, Mother Nature can sure be unpleasant at times. It's amazing, too, how she can be both destructive and beautiful (ice!) at the same time!
We had an ice-storm here in 1998. Thank goodness for generators as they sure come in handy. Never know what mother nature is going to throw our way.
Susan--I should probably invest in a generator, just in case the power is out for days again. Mother Nature can be so unpredictable. Thanks for reading!
Your description is very impressive, Victoria! I enjoyed the poem and the photos - both conveyed the unpleasant state of affairs very well. It sounds like you were in a scary situation. Where I live we don't usually get much snow, I'm glad to say. I hope that the upcoming winter isn't so bad for you.
Thanks, AliciaC! It was very unpleasant. I'm glad I took the photos as a reminder. I still get a bad feeling when I look at them. It was a tough time for a lot of people. Then, in 2010, we didn't have the ice, but we had 6 or 7 snows. Unreal for this area. I'm used to having a few really cold days, a relatively mild winter with maybe one snow or a couple of light ones. Our last snow in 2010 was 24 inches! Unheard of in this area. Anyway, I'm with you in hoping that this winter isn't so bad. We need a break!
This time of year again.... Hope we don't have to go through this again!
January again! Hope the Ice Storm doesn't happen again....
Brrrrrr!!! This is one more reason why I live in Florida, I'd take a hurricane over an ice storm. Great photos and poem. Thank you for sharing.
Oooooh, Sunshine, hurricanes are scary! But I sure would like to have warmer weather for the majority of the year. Thanks for the compliment, though. You're always so supportive!
Victoria, temperature below 25C is already cold for me. i have experienced winter and spring for a couple of months and i could not stand the cold. it gets to my bones. how much more snow storms. i cannot imagine. hope this will not happen again. i believe every place in this world have their own natural calamities. as for us, we have flash floods and typhoons. but what's wonderful about this is that mankind has shown how to prevail in such trying circumstances. We will just pray for blessings and protection.
anjperez--I hate the cold. It gets in my bones, too. I don't feel warm again until springtime. Yes, prayer for blessings and protection--I like that. Thanks for the great comments.
We have plenty of time to prepare for a hurricane. Yes they are scary and can cause a lot of havoc but they are kinda cool too.
Kinda cool? Hurricanes? You're funny, Sunshine. So positive about so many things. You rock!
really good, Victoria. We had a storm like that during the same year. Two weeks without leaving my house.
also: "As the tree next to the house split into" should probably read "in two"?
Thanks, PDX.I had to leave the house during that time since I worked in a nursing home, but that was a good thing since my house was without electricity and 40 degrees for 3 days. I'll look at your suggestion. Thanks! ;-)
although split into has some nice connotations now that I'm rereading it :-)
I was thinking about that, PDX, since you left the previous comment. I like split into, because it actually split into THREE pieces. It didn't split into TWO pieces. :-) You made me think about it!
well, and i was only offering my opinion :-)
PDX--Your opinion is always welcome! :-)
BWD316 Level 5 Commenter 9 months ago
nice poem, amazing pictures, nature can be so extreme!