Ice Storm Cometh

Here's what you need to prepare for a repeat of January's debilitating ice storm.

It was about one year ago that 75,000 of the 106,000 City Utilities customers were out of power in Springfield. Amid darkened windows, fallen trees and the cave-like cold of their unheated homes, they had one thing going for them: The roads were driveable. They could get out, get away, get warm, get fed. But what would you do if ice-covered streets trapped you inside your home? The one thing you can do now is prepare yourself and be ready.

Stay Warm

In January 2007, seeing lines of men and women standing outside in a cold parking lot waiting to get their hands on an overpriced generator that was being hefted out of the back of a semi truck wasn’t uncommon. But before you jump on that bandwagon, should it ever roll around again, consider what you might be purchasing. Don’t know? Well, that’s the problem. Tim Hamburg, zone manager at Lowe’s on South Campbell says that if you aren’t buying a generator from a reputable dealer (check with Lowe’s, Home Depot or your favorite hardware store to see what they carry) no way of fixing the problem if the generator doesn’t work. A reputable dealer will exchange any defective products, plus you always know where to find a brick-and-mortar store if you need to go back.

Three words of caution from Hamburg: Get set-up help from an electrician, be prepared to shell out some money for gasoline (one tank lasts 12-14 hours), and get a carbon monoxide detector.

Be Prepared

During the 2007 ice storm and the recovery periods afterwards, the American Red Cross Greater Ozarks Chapter provided more than 100,000 ready-to-eat meals to emergency services in 417-land counties. It kept 23 Red Cross shelters open and supported more than 100 others. Chris Harmon, director of emergency services, offers safety preparation tips:

1. Get a weather radio.

2. Make two disaster supplies kits. That should include a first-aid kit, medicine, canned food with a can opener, bottled water (at least one gallon per person per day) and your weather radio. You should have enough supplies on hand to survive for three days without help. Keep one kit at home and a mini version in your car. Have warning flares on hand, and keep a heat-deflecting blanket nearby. You can also use (and carefully conserve) the water stored behind your toilet and in your hot water heater.

3. Have plenty of warm clothes.

4. Know the difference between a watch and a warning. A watch means the particular weather event is possible, given the conditions. A warning means it has been spotted; you should stay indoors.

Find help

A new feature at the American Red Cross that wasn’t available last year is an automated list of shelters that you can access by calling the main American Red Cross phone number (417-832-9500).

John Twitty, general manager of City Utilities, says that if you experience a power outage, City Utilities wants and needs to hear about it, and you can call 417-863-9000 to report your outage.

City Utilities Prepares for Disaster

At press time, City Utilities was getting ready for possible future storms that could lead to widespread outages. It was in the early stages of contracting with an outside company to provide a centralized service for high call volume during times of crisis. Customers will be able to call a toll-free number (as yet unassigned at press time) and enter the phone number from their accounts to log the outage efficiently, General Manager John Twitty says. Currently, however, CU doesn’t have updated phone numbers for everyone, and in December the company planned to begin trying to collect those. The system can only work if everyone is on file and updated, Twitty says. The system won’t be up and running until late winter or early spring.

In addition to the upgraded phone system, CU is becoming more aggressive with tree management to prevent future outages. Springfield is heavily forested, and problems such as minimizing contact between the trees and power lines need to be dealt with in a responsible way.