Thursday (01.29.09) I traveled up I-55 through Arkansas and Missouri on the heels of a rather nasty winter storm. From just north of Blytheville, AR to a bit north of Charleston, MO the storm dropped an unbelievable amount of ice. The results were devastating. Thousands of people without power and significant damage to homes, trees and power lines.Being the shutterbug that I am, I grabbed my digital camera to get images for my blog. But the batteries were dead. And since no one had power and all the stores were closed, I could not get any batteries. So, I was reduced to walking around in the cold snapping low-resolution pics in bad light with my cell phone. Most of them came out too crappy to use here, but I've managed to salvage a few. Most of these were shot at or near the Pilot Travel Center in Hayti, MO. A few others were shot north of Hayti after I hit the road again.
Trees along I-55 just smashed to bits by the ice
Look at this tiny twig encased in so much ice...
Uh oh! Better call GEICO
Another crappy image (crappy cell camera)This was at the exit of the Pilot Travel Center
(Above & Below) Decorative trees at the Pilot ruined by the ice
One of hundreds of power poles snapped by the ice
No power = no gas.While at the Pilot, I was approached by dozens of motorists looking for
ANY PLACE they could find some gas.
Also an elderly fellow whose generator had run out of fuel.
(Above and Below)
There is a tree under all that ice.
Really. No foolin'
See ya'll on the road.
--Alan
6 comments:
That's a bad ice storm. We drove through one in Kentucky last Feb. on our way back to Michigan. Got off 65 (traffic stopped for miles)and headed north on a back road. Ended up driving pass one of Lincoln's childhood homes. It was ice covered and I took a few pix before moving on.
yeah that was bad,it look like that from west memphis,tn to about 50miles south of effingham,Ill. kinda looked like a winter nuclear bomb went off. if they get power restored by summer I will be surprised. it was bad all the way from dallas,tx to pittsburgh,pa and I was only 5hrs late delivering my load. but now i'm sitting here in this small town named newell,wv bout to get loaded and head to houston. and I can't wait!!!
I am one of those living in the middle of this mess. I live about a mile from I55. I am with Pemiscot Dunklin Elec, a rural electric company that was totally devastated. They went down 100%. All feeder lines coming into the area were down. We are still without electricity and will probably remain so for several more weeks. We are doing ok. We are doing fine but I am a little agrivated with FEMA< RED Cross and any other organization that helped the towns with food, water etc. We needed this in the country also. But was not here for us. But thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.
"I am one of those living in the middle of this mess..."
Yep, you folks have a real mess over there. And rest assured you are indeed in our thoughts and prayers. I live in S/E Mississippi and remember all too well what it was like after Katrina. Best wishes for you and your family and neighbors.
AB
I was one of the soldiers from the Missouri National Guard helping the local community of Hatyi, Missouri. All I would like to say is that the folks' I talked to while doing my duty were very generous and very, very hospitalic of us. I'm sure every soldier who helped out your community know that you all are very appreciative of what we did; might not have been much, or it might have been too much. But our motto is: "Always ready, Always be there." I hope you all are back on your feet and everything is up and running. Thankyou.
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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