Crippling Ice Storm Sweeps Heartland

CBS Evening News: Kentucky National Guard Called Up To Clear Roads, Check On Rural Residents

(CBS)  The digging out continued across much of the heartland Sunday after a crippling ice storm last week killed at least 42 people. Nearly 700,000 people in five states are still without power, including hard-hit Kentucky, which has mobilized its entire National Guard, reports CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan.

Kentucky is picking up the pieces from a storm unlike any it has ever seen.

"Obviously we are in the middle of the biggest natural disaster that this state has ever experienced in modern history," says Governor Steve Beshear.

A solid layer of ice that coated almost everything weighed enough to bring down even the largest tree limbs. With those limbs came power lines. Though utility crews have been working around the clock, Louisville residents like Woody Miller have been without power for five days.

"We've endured since then and just roughed it out like the pioneers," Miller says.

At one point, the Miller home got down to 36 degrees, and all they could do was pile on the blankets.

"Body heat generates a lot of warmth," Miller says.

When the lights went out Jamie Gunnels was not taking chances. She took her toddler Ashton straight to the local Red Cross shelter.

"We've been here since late Wednesday night," Gunnels says. "Wow. Yeah, I'm sleepy."

At least 6,000 people across Kentucky are staying in shelters.

"There's been quite a few people that have been leaving because they got power back so we're hoping that it's soon," Gunnels says.

Throughout the state, 91 counties and 69 cities have declared states of emergencies.

Every National Guard member in the state has been called up. They are helping clear roadways and going door-to-door throughout rural Kentucky to check on those who are still in their homes.

Temperatures are slowly warming up and the state is thawing out, but the effects of this ice storm are far from over.

The temperatures were in the low fifties on Sunday, Sreenivasan reports, so the ice that weighed enough to crack tree limbs off has melted, and since there is no significant precipitation in the forecast, the people here just have to make it the latter part of this week when temperatures are expected to climb.

[marlenemn]

If this is the worst natural disaster in Kentucky''s state''s history, they have had a mighty easy life! And then ... they are comparing an ice storm to Katrina ?!?
The folks in New Orleans lost their homes, schools, and hospitals to a hurricane - HELLO!
But I guess, if you put a bunch of science hating retards in a wet paper bag -- to them it must seem like Katrina.

[janus32-2009]

All trees in the city limits should be cut down, and all electric transmission lines should be underground, enough said!

[pepperwood2]

All you GW doubters - are you really dumb enough to believe that one cold winter disproves global warming as a theory? I for one am still open to either yea or nay arguments on GW, but applying a microscopic observation to a macroscopic problem does not make any sense.

Posted by usclimey at 10:58 AM : Feb 02, 2009

With all due respect Mr. Chimney. The Earth has been evolving (changing) as you would say for trillions & trillions of years and this is the first time Mr. Gore & his entourage have witnessed this phenomenon. Just in time to make some big bucks for their followers.

Its pretty convenient as the new economic stimulus package is full of our tax dollars to go to pork projects to pay back B.O.''s supporters.

Don''t panic about this phenomenon. It is nothing more than a REAL CHANGE we''ve come to count on. Business as usual that Our Planet has been going through for trillions of years. Lighten up, you''re an intelligent person, lets put aside this partisan politics of false information and get back to solving the real problems of the American People.

[louiville2]

All you GW doubters - are you really dumb enough to believe that one cold winter disproves global warming as a theory? I for one am still open to either yea or nay arguments on GW, but applying a microscopic observation to a macroscopic problem does not make any sense.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by usclimey at 10:58 AM

Yep, but hey we arn''t alone check out the below list of all the things blamed on the 0.6 deg C (Ummmm now about 0.03 deg C) GW over the last 100 years like "Hibernation ends to soon" and the follow-up "Hybernation ends to late"



http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm

[drinuk]

AL2008, Time for your medicine AL ! If after the current financial rip off you still believe in Global Warming, then there''s no F--king hope for you. GW & the Credit Crunch is all part of the scam my friend, it''s where the Elite Zionist''s get filthy rich from Flim Flaming a stupid American population who believe whatever is put in front of them, especially if the TV broadcast it.

The climate has been changing for 30 million years Bird Brain and so it will for another 30 million or so, give or take a month or two.

Frankly I''m more concerned about living on a plant where idiots like you write loads of S H I T to places like this. You time would be better spent taking up the cause of hundreds of dead children in GAZA

[al2008-2009]

I%u2019m appalled at the governor%u2019s lack of response to the global warming blizzards, hail, snow, and ice storms.
We have no comprehensive strategy in place whatsoever, let alone a detailed plan of action to mitigate these storms, and mother earth continues to suffer while the governor%u2019s office refuses to go forward and do what%u2019s right for our mother.
.
How long must we sit idly by while our mother continues to suffer from the warming taking place at a feverish pace? How long must our mother suffer before we have proper c02 taxes put into place? How long must we wait until we beef up corn ethanol production? How long must the destruction of mother earth take place before we finally put progressive plans into action? At least President Obama%u2019s plan calls for cutting c02 pollution by 80% and eliminating greenhouse gases from our cars; he is definitely our best hope at solving our climate crisis.
.
We the people call upon the governor to implement a comprehensive antiglobal warming strategy at once and work in coordination with state and federal officials; these storms continue to worsen and the quicker we stop the warming the sooner we will see these storms cease. We need action now

[usclimey]

All you GW doubters - are you really dumb enough to believe that one cold winter disproves global warming as a theory? I for one am still open to either yea or nay arguments on GW, but applying a microscopic observation to a macroscopic problem does not make any sense.

[usclimey]

Look the Super Bowl Party bash & celebration should be over and the entourage should be sobered up by now to get back to doing the work of our beloved American People in Kentucky & adjoining areas. So Sad now how about some intervention. We''''ve had enough PR.

Posted by pepperwood2

It''s truly funny that the first people begging for government help in a crisis are the me first GOPigs.

[bobs1066]

You''re doing a heck of a job, Barry.

[pepperwood2]

We haven''''t heard much from Al Gore this winter. I guess it''''s hard to peddle his global warming lies when folks are dying from the intense cold.

Posted by Mihann

Al Gore & his entourage, have probably been drinking, smoking pot & doing drugs during the Big Super Bowl Bash held afterward at one of his many residences. Just follow the trail of trash, beer cans, puke & they left behind for somebody else to clean up. And yes, in all fairness to the GW gurus, they will tell us that record cold & record heat is produced by GW. Go figure. SO SAD!