Ice Storm Preparations

Friday’s forecast already has many people preparing for ice including workers at City Utilities.

The last day of November brought the Ozarks first ice storm and the serene-looking icicles ended up agitating several CU customers.

“They're saying it's going to get worse and there's a lot of limbs falling and a lot of damage happening,” said a CU customer on November 30, 2006.

15,000 households lost electricity in the Springfield area including several school buildings.

Now, more than a month later, round two seems to be on the way and CU is preparing for it.

“If call volume comes up beyond normal levels, people will be called into this main room,” said CU spokesman Ernie DeCamp referring to the call center at CU.

Those workers would answer people’s reports of downed power lines.  Workers have also been trimming trouble trees, but that doesn’t always help.

“When you have an ice storm, you can have trees fifty feet away that you wouldn't normally trim that come crashing down,” explained DeCamp.

And that would bring the crews out again, but one thing you might see and hear this time is a new safety device.

“They don't wear them during the day, but at night and during storms they light up and a beeping sound alerts them if they come anywhere close to a voltage.”

City Utilities purchased fifty of those safety devices at $200 each after a lineman died in St. Louis after stepping on a power line hidden by debris after this summer’s major wind storm.

“Everyone tries to learn from events and that was one of them,” said DeCamp.

As for the Ozarks, many are hoping the storm in November taught all of us to never doubt the destructive powers of what sometimes look like peaceful rains.

Ernie DeCamp reminds people that many things can become electrified after an ice storm downs power lines.  He suggests people stay inside until they know their neighborhood is safe.  If the ice storm this weekend knocks out power, the number residents should call is 417-863-9000.