Tulsans Recovering From Snow Storm

By Jeffrey Smith, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Almost 10 inches of snow slammed Tulsa during Saturday's snow storm.

On Sunday, drivers were digging out from abandoned vehicles, businesses were coming back from power outages and kids were out having fun.

The snow was thawing fast under sunny skies and on most city streets, it was smooth sailing for city drivers.

But now that the snow is melting, the cleanup is under way. For Robert Lucas, there's a lot to clean up.

"This (patio) was my pride and joy in the spring and summer," he said.

He's had the patio for two decades, and it survived floods, ice storms and snow.

"I never thought it'd come down," said Lucas, a Tulsa homeowner. "But this snow came down so fast, and it was so heavy and wet, that it just couldn't hold it."

During Saturday's snowstorm, 9.9 inches of snow fell, making it the fourth heaviest snowfall in Tulsa history.

The patio roof was more than 15 feet in the air Friday, but now it's nothing more than rubble.

A few houses down the street, the Melendez family was having a great time. Yolanda and her 8-year-old sister wanted to enjoy the snow before it was gone.

"Whenever you get to come out here and feel the cold stuff, and then you get to make snowmens and then make a snowangel on the bottom," 14-year-old Yolanda said.

At the height of the storm, 11,000 PSO customers lost power throughout Tulsa.

Traffic lights were out all over the city. EMSA responded to 13 car accidents. A handful of drivers had to be taken to the hospital. Many people simply abandoned their vehicles on the side of the highway.

Manny Brown shoveled out his teenage daughter's car after she slid off the road Saturday night.

"I guess evidently it froze up and she kind of lost control and she did the smart thing and threw it in neutral and this is where she landed, right here," Brown said.