I have family and friends who live in Paducah, Kentucky. A few days ago a major ice storm went through their part of the country. Power lines and numerous trees are down. Some areas aren't expected to get power back until the middle of February. If you've never experienced something like this, you have no idea what it is like.
As a child in the suburbs of Chicago, I remember when an ice storm of that magnitude hit. The sounds of creaking and breaking limbs is horrible. You sit and wonder if a tree limb is going to come crashing through your roof any minute and there is little you can do about it. I'll never forget the sounds or the feeling.
For able to stay in their homes, it means no heat, no way to cook, no gasoline, no cell phones or land lines, no mail, even worse, no email, etc. You get the idea. You can't buy groceries even if you can get to the store. You can't use an ATM to get cash and the banks aren't open so that's not an option. For some, they are totally cut off from the outside world. Everything is frozen and nothing can move.
I haven't been able to contact my family or friends directly but I've heard that there are shelters that are open and there is a five o'clock curfew. It's these type of situations that either bring out the best in people or the sometimes the worst. So far, it seems everything is under control and people are helping each other. The key will be getting things back to normal as soon as possible. The longer it takes the faster people run out of patience and then there is trouble.
With any luck, I may hear from my family in the next day or so. If not, I'll be taking a road trip. I hope the people who experienced the storm listened to the weather forecasters and prepared as best they could. My prayers go out to them.
Take care.
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