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posted on February 14, 2009
ECOA Power Outages down to 15,000
Published: Feb. 12, 2009
Source: msnbcThe Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas report that approximately 15,243 members remain without power after the ice storm late last month.
More than 4,200 line workers remain steadfast in their efforts to restore service to the members.
The cooperative personnel that are working to restore power are to be commended, said Doug White, vice president of systems services for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.
In a period of weeks crews have basically rebuilt large portions of electric distribution infrastructure that took decades to construct.
White said that in addition to line workers, office personnel at the cooperatives have worked around the clock to ensure that phones are answered and the line crews are supported.
posted on February 11, 2009
AP Interview: Katrina lessons put to use in Ky.
By: BRETT BARROUQUERE
Published: Wednesday, Feb. 04, 2009
Source: Associated Press WriterLOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday that lessons the department learned from its disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina are being put to use as Kentucky digs out from a deadly winter storm.
In a phone interview with The Associated Press, FEMA director Nancy Ward said the agency started coordinating with state officials early in the crisis instead of waiting for local officials to be overwhelmed.
The agency's image took a beating after the August 2005 hurricane that leveled New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general issued a report calling the agency's response slow and ineffective - echoing the charges of critics in the aftermath of the deadly hurricane.
posted on January 30, 2009
Crews make some progress on ice storm outages
By: KRISTIN M. HALL
Published: January 30, 2009
Source: The Associated PressBy – 7 hours ago MURRAY, Ky. (AP) — Utility crews made some progress Friday in restoring power to the more than 1.3 million homes and businesses darkened by an ice storm that crippled states from Missouri to West Virginia, but thousands were still bunking in toasty shelters because their homes had no water or heat. At Murray University in southwestern Kentucky, brothers Jim McClung, 42, and Dale Earnest, 38, were among those resting in every corner of a university theater. Some sprawled in aisles, propped in chairs or curled up on the stage. They, like many others, ran out of food and water at their frigid, powerless home. "I had no idea the storm was going to last this long," McClung said. Utility companies struggled through ice-encrusted debris into Friday morning as they worked to restore power, but warned it may not return until Saturday at the earliest. It could take until mid-February for some to come back online in the hardest-hit areas of Kentucky and Arkansas.
posted on January 30, 2009
Some Of 1.4 Million Without Power After U.S. Ice Storm May Not Get It Back Until Mid-Feb.
By: CityNews.ca Staff
Published: January 29, 2009
Source: CityNews.caThe storm that lashed the GTA with another 10-15 centimetres of snow on Wednesday has moved off and while we're digging out, the worst is over for us. But for those in parts of the U.S. hit by the same disturbance, the suffering is just beginning. The massive system that just brushed Toronto hit like a weather freight train down south, and has left countless residents in the dark and cold with no timeframe about when their lives will get back to normal. The problem for most wasn't the snow - although there was plenty of that - but the ice, which clung heavily to trees and power lines, bringing down both and leading to widespread blackouts. Glazed roads coated with slippery surfaces are making it harder for crews to reach the areas where repairs are the most badly needed, complicating efforts to restore hydro.
posted on January 30, 2009
Ice Storm Forces Many to Shelters in Ohio County
By: Daniel Kemp, daniel.kemp@wbko.com
Published: Jan 28, 2009
Source: WBKOPower outages are still rising as Kentucky struggles through a massive winter storm that's coating the Commonwealth with snow and ice.
There are continuing efforts to keep Ohio County residents safe from the cold.
Three shelters have been set up where residents without power ranging in ages from one to 98 are taking refuge.
Emergency officials at the shelter we went to say their cots have been full--something that's expected to last at least a few more days.
"It's been pretty wild. I don't remember this happening in a long time," long-time Ohio County resident, Robert Dockery said.
posted on January 23, 2009
2008 one of worst years for natural disasters this decade
Published: Friday, January 23, 2009
Source: CBC NewsCyclones, earthquakes and hurricanes around the world made 2008 one of the worst years for natural disasters so far this decade, the United Nations said Thursday.
At least 235,816 people were killed in 321 different disasters, some of the worst of which took place in Burma and China, according to the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
"Almost the entire bulk of the deaths... is explained by only two events: Cyclone Nargis and the Sichuan [earthquake]," said Debarati Guha-Sapir of the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, which conducted the tally.
The UN estimates that nearly 84,000 people died and 54,000 went missing after Cyclone Nargis came crashing into Burma, also known as Myanmar, last May 3. About 2.5 million people were left destitute by the storm.
Less than two weeks later, nearly 70,000 people were killed when an earthquake rocked a swath of central and southern China. An estimated five million people were rendered homeless.