Radio, TV, newspaper and online newsrooms in the nation's midsection are feeling the strain of a massive ice storm that has left record numbers of residents without power. The ice storm is responsible for at least 16 deaths. Today,
the Northeast United States gets a blast of winter weather and by week's end, the snow will be back in the ice-covered Midwest.
The stories that Oklahoma newsrooms have told are worth noting for all of you who have severe weather planned in the days ahead.
Half a million Oklahomans were without power Tuesday, half of them being from Oklahoma City. KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City reported on the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning as people fire up generators.
KWTV warned viewers to keep cooking grills outside.
KTOK Radio reports:
EMSA officials in Oklahoma City reported handling 8 to 10 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning overnight. Hours after warning residents of the dangers of the fumes, rescue personnel were sent to a house where 7 persons were transported to a hospital after being overcome by the fumes.
KFOR included a story about how new power lines are being installed underground these days. Little has been done to bury existing power lines.
The Daily Oklahoman included a story about how the storm may interrupt holiday shopping and how it will hurt retailers.
The paper also explored how widespread power outages are affecting water and sewage plants. Many plants are working at low capacity, and some can't function at all.
How do ice storms cause house fires? It happens when limbs fall on power lines.
The Oklahoman explained that on top of the more than 40 calls to blazes, city firefighters responded to more than 650 emergency calls from 7 a.m. Monday until about 5 p.m. Tuesday. On any given day, the department will respond to an average of 190 calls.
Survivor Tree Survives Again
The Survivor Tree, that famous tree that survived the Oklahoma City bombing, seems to have survived this storm as well.
The Oklahoman says:
"You see a lot of older trees that have withstood a lot of damage over the years that are broken now,” said John Burwell, director of the state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
"There was a lot more broken wood this morning than there was yesterday morning.”
Little damage was reported at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The Survivor Tree survived again — and largely unscathed.
Throughout the storm, state workers and volunteers pushed long poles up into the tree's canopy, dislodging ice as it grew on the branches.
"The more ice forms, the more surface area you have on those branches, the heavier it becomes,” said Mark Bays, urban forestry coordinator with Burwell's department. "With even a little freezing rain, there's so much more surface area there that it doesn't take much to push a tree over the edge.”
The American elm lost some small branches and could have non-visible cracks, but otherwise is doing fine, Bays said.
"I tell you what, that's one tough, tough tree,” he said. "Once again, it's shown us how much of a survivor it really is.”
In residential neighborhoods, trees such as Bradford pears, willows, sycamores and cottonwoods fared poorly, their brittle limbs unable to support the added weight.
How to Care for Trees After a Winter Storm
SaveATree.com offers this advice:
After a heavy winter storm, assess any tree & shrub damage that may have occurred. If there is major damage such as a fallen limb or tree, or if you are unsure what to do, call your arborist. On your own, grab a broom & walk your property. Shrubs that are completely buried should be left alone. The same is true for leafless deciduous trees and most needle-leafed pines.
Take action only if the trunk of the tree is badly bowed down (usually occurs with small trees). Gently shake the trunk to dislodge the snowy burden. Bounce lower branches from underneath to relieve the most heavily stressed areas. Dense evergreens and shrubs are often deformed by heavy snow. Using the bristle end of your broom, gently bounce the middle of the branches from underneath. After an ice storm, do nothing at all! The brittle coat formed by ice acts as both a load and a support. Let nature take its course.
Michigan State University's Extension Service advises:
Assuming the decision has been made to repair the tree, the next question is: "Am I capable of repairing the damage myself or should I seek professional help?" Major repair will undoubtedly require the use of a chain saw and climbing equipment. Unless one is experienced in the use of such equipment and comfortable working off the ground, it may be best to have the work performed by a competent professional. The names of qualified firms can be obtained from local nurserymen.
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| Figure 1. Cut broken branches adjacent to the next larger branch (A). If the cut is made immediately below the break (B), decay of the protruding stub is likely. |
Once it has been determined that the tree can be salvaged, follow these procedures.
First of all, assess the damage. Some branches may be broken and hanging in the tree, others may be partially attached, and in some cases, entire forks may be split. Plan which branches must be removed and where the removal cut should be made. Remove all damaged branches at the nearest lateral branch, bud, or main stem and not in the middle of a branch (Fig. 1).
Such careless pruning may result in death of the entire branch or in excessive sprouting and the eventual development of more problems later on, since these sprouts are generally short lived and weakly attached.
The site also has advice for uprooted trees, trees with torn bark and the splitting of branch forks.
Radio in a Time of Need
Oklahomans are used to turning to their portable radios in the tornado season. The ice storm reaffirms the importance of local radio in a time of crisis.
Blaise Labbe, KWTV-TV news director, says his company, Griffin Communications, relies on two networks of radio stations to connect to viewers who cannot watch their TVs. Griffin owns a statewide radio network with more than three dozen affiliates around Oklahoma and has agreements with a number of metro radio stations in Oklahoma City. The TV station alerts the radio station when it is about to cover major events like press conferences from the power company or announcements and updates from Emergency Management Agency officials.
Glenn Schroeder, news anchor for KRMG Radio in Tulsa said his station's storm coverage has been "virtually non-stop since Sunday night. We realize that we are the source of information for a lot of people in times like this. Even when we go to our syndicated programs during the day, we come back every 15 minutes to update people on where they can get firewood, about new shelters opening up or where they can get something to eat."
Schroeder says people have come up to him to thank him for the station's work during and after the storm. "I was at a church yesterday and I ran into a number of people who thanked KRMG for letting them know where they could come to get help. They found the shelter because of radio."
"People still appreciate radio," Schroeder said. "It is old school communication, but it is something they know they can count on. One person told me yesterday they listened to us on an old hand crank radio."
Getting Low-Tech to Reach People
Brent Hensley, general manager of KOCO-TV, says his station recognized that large numbers of people could not see the station's coverage, so the station installed special phone lines for viewers to call to get hourly updates on emergency, shelter and forecast information.
Hensley said KOCO, a Hearst-Argyle owned station, learned a lot about disaster coverage when a sister station in New Orleans endured Hurricane Katrina. In addition, it learned coverage tips, such as how to keep the online site constantly updated for people who had electricity at work.
"We realized the need to have a big supply of diesel fuel on hand before the storm since we have been on our own generator power since Sunday," he said. "We just can't trust that the power won't go right back off once it is restored. We learned from other stations how to think of this as a marathon, not just something that we cover over a few days."
Stations know that viewers and online users may be watching their coverage at friend's houses elsewhere and at shelters. Worried families outside the coverage area can watch entire TV programs and listen to radio coverage all over the state.
Living at the Office
Newsrooms are finding space for their families during the storm. KWTV's Labbe said overnight producers and even the station's general manager did their best to grab some sleep in the general manager's conference room and office. "The GM slept in his office chair," Labbe said.
After a short warm-up today, another storm carrying up to five inches of snow is in the forecast for the Midwest this weekend. Newsrooms in more than a dozen states won't be putting away the cots anytime soon.
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Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.
Tragically, at least two people were killed by carbon monoxide...
