Ice Storm claims 5 lives in Oklahoma, emergency declared

Oklahoma, United States, January 27: An ice storm of fierce intensity lashed across Oklahoma city, throwing normal life out of gear. The growing ice storm has already spread in major parts of the city, resulting in 5 deaths and leaving a trail of destruction all around.

Spreading from Texas into Midwest, the storm resulted in major power shutdown and made roads dangerous for driving in such severe conditions.

However, highway and emergency crews braved tough climatic conditions to carry out rescue operations in Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and the southern parts of Indiana and Illinois.

The National Weather Service had already issued warnings indicating ice storm and winter storm in parts of Oklahoma and some sections of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and southern parts of Indiana and Illinois.

There was a possibility of ice in almost all these places, the weather service had further cautioned.

The treacherous roads have claimed the life of a truck driver in Oklahoma when his semi skidded off an icy pathway of turnpike near Chandler, said Jack Damrill, spokesman for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. The victim’s identity is yet to be revealed.

In another weather-related traffic accident, a person died near Afton on the Will Rogers Turnpike, Damrill stated.

According to Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., the storm left nearly 5,200 customers in dark Monday evening, out of which 4,977 belonged to west Oklahoma City suburb of Warr Acres. The conditions are likely to worsen in the wake of continuing ice storms, the authorities revealed.

The Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) in Tulsa reported to have at least 30 accident cases in a short span of an hour. In another incident, two ambulances crashed on the slippery streets. However, there was no report of any casualty or serious injuries.

EMSA received 219 emergency calls till Monday afternoon, including 75 cases of slips or falls and at least 50 car accidents. At least 24 people were hospitalized following such incidents, official spokeswoman Lara O’Leary said.

Lara stated, “EMSA paramedics in Oklahoma City are currently in disaster mode. We're literally running from hospital to call.”

Continuing severe weather conditions have forced cancellation of classes in almost all the schools and universities across the state including the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.

Director of the state Emergency Management Department, Albert Ashwood, feared that southeast Oklahoma might be the most affected by the storm.

“We're looking at upward of three-quarters to an inch of ice that could accumulate on (power) lines, and then you get a little bit of wind that will take down the lines,” he stated. “That's what we're concerned with right now.

“That doesn't mean we won't have sporadic outages in the metro area or elsewhere. We're just more concerned with the southeast, due to what the weather service is telling us,” he further said.

A state of emergency has been declared by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry for all 77 counties of the state, a step forward towards seeking federal assistance for ice storm damage.

Henry warned Oklahomans to take all precautions to ensure their safety. “I would urge motorists to slow down or, better yet, stay off the roads if they can,” Henry said.

The prevailing freezing conditions are not likely to improve until before Wednesday, the forecasters maintained.