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Collinsville,
Oklahoma
December
16, 2007 (Sunday)
Sun
Out For Day 8 Ice Storm Aftermath
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First
Sunny Day In A Week Brightens Outlook After Ice/Tree/Power Disaster
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This
web site is brought to you by the Newspaper
Museum In Collinsville and the other advertisers appearing on these
pages. If you would like to provide news content or advertisements ...
call Ted Wright (918) 371-1901 or
send email to wrightted@aol.com.
1110 W. Main, Collinsville, OK 74021
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Home
(email questions/comments to wrightted@aol.com).
Ted Wright -- last update 12/16/2007 (IceDay8SunnyDec16.html)
www.cvilleok.com
Copyright 2007 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma
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| You'll
have to excuse Collinsville trees from having a grumpy or cold blank expression
after the week they've been through. The ice that started last Sunday
(Dec. 9th) is gone but the damage is done. After several days of hearing
limbs crack and fall, the main sound this Sunday (Dec. 16th) is that of
chain saws trying to clean up the mess. |
After
temps in the 20s yesterday (Sat.) and a stiff wind, today (Sunday) has seemed
almost pleasant a few degrees above freezing. I even noticed a reading of 44
degrees several hours after the mid-day 36 above.
These
cats don't seem to care but a downed electric meter will likely keep their owners
in the dark for several more days.
Some
of the visiting utility crews (these from Dallas above) were taking a break
for lunch Sunday. Many of them headed to the Silver Dollar Cafe (below) but
were back at work soon afterwards.
The
young man in the yellow hard hat (with the Dallas crew) is from Garland, Texas
where I lived for almost 20 years before returning to hometown Collinsville,
OK. -- Ted
Even
with power restored in many neighborhoods, some homes will be without power
until an electrician can repair the connections to homes.
While
most of my photos the past week have shown damaged trees in Collinsville, today
I noticed what is now probably the tallest tree left in town that somehow avoided
the major ice damage suffered by most others.
This
view down Broadway shows the crosswalk at 15th all the way past the new bridge,
then past Highway 169 where it reverts to 146th St. North.
I
haven't said much about phone lines this week (while focusing on electrical)
but there are individual lines and bundles (like above) down all over town.
I've been lucky to have phone & DSL service at the Newspaper Museum where
I have been able to post this web site daily. Cell phones have helped many without
power or phone stay connected.
Charlie's
Park lost several hugh trees.
Out
of school for a week ... but no place to play?
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| Many members of the
Baptist Disaster team have already arrived. The total number of 39 are
expected by Monday Dec. 17th according to Tim Prock. |
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Copied
from cvilleok.com's newsindex page Sunday
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Viewer
Emails Received 12-16-2007
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Mr. Wright,
My husband and six other men (mostly from Grace Baptist Church here in
Knoxville, Tennessee) have just left and are on their way and should arrive
tonight to help your community clear trees this week as part of the Southern
Baptist Disaster Relief Team. They will be staying at the First Baptist
Church in Collinsville, and are anxious to get there and help. These are
a great group of men who take their time and vacation from work to help
whenever called to various parts of the country and also our local community.
They also have a local firewood ministry to to assist elderly and disadvantaged
that require wood as a means for keeping their homes warm in the winter.
They work year round cutting down trees and splitting woods in preparation
for the winter months.
I found your website this morning and we were looking at all the pictures
from the ice storm. My prayer is that the men's assistance will enable
familes to have their yards cleared, and power restored, and the community
will get a chance to meet these men who love the Lord and are truly "volunteers"
from the Volunteer State!
May God bless! -- Debbie Knox (Sunday 12-16-2007) |
| Ted, I don't know
if you stayed for the meeting with Sullivan, the lady from FEMA and DEQ,
I believe his name is Mark, but the bottom line was that DEQ shut the
city down from using the brush drop off site. The City is urging residents
to pile brush on the curb and it will be picked up later. If the president
signs the declaration of emergency for Tulsa Co., lower authorities such
as the DEQ will be usurped and we can proceed as originally planed by
our locale management team. The Cities internet is still down and the
emergency hot lines are still very busy. It will be helpful if you would
pass on this information. Thanks-- Brad (12-16-2007) |
Hi Ted,
I just wanted to say thank you to the city workers, the electric crews
who are from out of town, and the VVEC workers. They have spent long and
hard hours this week trying to restore everyones power. They are taking
time out of their daily routines to make sure everyone around here gets
power. It's going to take time to get everyones power back on. These people
who are complaining about not having power and not being able to reach
VVEC do NOT understand what it is like working long hours out in the cold
and wet mess that is outside.
I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who is helping Collinsville and
surrounding areas get electricity!!
Thank you, Christine Blue (12-16-2007) |
| This
is Ted:
I have unfortunately been placed in the middle of the VVEC communications
issue. For the record all that have contacted me requesting VVEC info
have been very patient and polite. I know they appreciate all of the crews
from all organizations and their efforts under extreme circumstances.
Just a tiny bit of info from VVEC would go a long ways to help comfort
their customers who are struggling. -- Ted Wright (12-16-2007 1:25pm Sunday)
I have a several photos from Sunday morning to add
online later tonight. |
Ted
Again at 7:45pm Sunday:
Just checked the VVEC web site and their new revised site has replaced
the old site I had maintained for them for the past few years. It was
not there at mid-day and not sure when it came up. The address is the
same www.vvec.com. Their 12/16/2007 report has Current Estimate of Outages:
3750
Total Poles Broken: 1550 |
Viewer
Emails At Bottom of Page
Day
8: Sun
is out & chain saws are humming ... power crews still at work
... (Sunday Dec. 16, 2007)
| Pastor
Tim Prock said anyone seeking (free) assistance with tree trimming should
call the Collinsville First Baptist Church (918) 371-2526. An assessment
will be made to help those with the most desperate need first. Many of
the nationwide Baptist disaster group are already here and a total of
39 are expected by Monday. -- Ted 3:30pm Sunday |
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VVEC
Updates
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The new VVEC web
site went online sometime Sunday before 7:45pm at the same www.vvec.com
address -- Ted Wright 12-16-2007 (This replaced the earlier version
which I had maintained the past few years and is totally out of my hands
now). Their Sunday
12-16-2007 report says they have 75 brush crews and 70 line crews working
and 12 additional crews from other cooperatives are on their way to help
VVEC as they have freed up from their own territories. The Sunday estimate
for VVEC outages was 3750. (Down from 12,000)
[I just found their 12-14-2007
press release which went online 12-16] - Ted 9pm Sunday |
