NW Arkansas Ice Storm, 2009 The Clean-Up

I made small progress on my clean-up. I made a small pile of the the limbs I could pick up but there were a fair number that were too heavy to lift. The chainsaw I order came today so I will be a having a ball the rest of the week cutting up those limbs. I climbed the roof Saturday to see if I could lift the limb off my house. Nope! Too heavy and still attached to the tree. I called in professional help which surprisingly enough called this morning and I've made arrangements to have the tree trimmed. My neighbor came over to apologize for their tree falling on the fence and they weren't able to lift it off. They are renters and the owner isn't real good about doing repairs around the house. The renter has a poor back so I'll probably be cleaning up their yard as soon as mine is done.

I pass by Ozarks Electric on my way to work and there are lots of trucks pulling out on their way to work. I noticed this morning that they are still hauling poles.

"We are rebuilding a system that took decades to build,” said Mitchell Johnson, president and chief executive officer for Ozarks Electric Cooperative. “Some linemen here from the Gulf Coast who are helping with power restoration in Arkansas are saying the damage is as bad here as it was in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. So, I can’t stress enough what a mammoth task we have before us." Damage to the cooperative’s distribution system includes about 1,200 downed poles and hundreds of miles of downed power lines.

I am really thankful that I've got electricity and that I've only been without it for a few hours. Some of my co-workers still didn't have it on as of today. You know, people weren't whining or complaining that they've been without electricity for the past week. They've been telling stories on how they've adapted, how they been taken in by family or friends. No one was demanding that the government has to do something. No one was wondering why Pres. Obama hasn't shown up or how can Pres Obama stay toasty warm, eat wagyu steak ($100 per serving), and watch football while people have died and half a million go without power, water, heat and food. Nope, I haven't heard any one say that. Yup, we gun toting, Bible thumping Rednecks take care of ourselves and don't expect the government to burp us.