Oklahoma remains in deep freeze

(AP)-Oklahomans shivered through another day of sub-freezing temperatures Tuesday and winced at the inevitable result of trying to stay warm _ higher heating bills. <br><br>As an arctic wave pushed overnight

Tuesday, December 12th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(AP)-Oklahomans shivered through another day of sub-freezing temperatures Tuesday and winced at the inevitable result of trying to stay warm _ higher heating bills.

As an arctic wave pushed overnight temperatures into the teens and single digits across the state, Oklahoma Natural Gas Co. said customers were expected to consume more than 1 billion cubic feet of gas during the 24-hour period ending at 9 a.m.

ONG officials said that's more than twice as much gas than is normally consumed this time of year _ 450 million cubic feet. ONG spokesman Don Sherry said the company's transmission system was equipped to handle the extra load.

But rising consumption wasn't all that gas customers had to worry about. They also had to worry about rising gas prices.

Officials in the oil and gas industry said the price of western Oklahoma natural gas under monthlong ``spot'' contracts jumped Monday by $2.07, or 26 percent, to $10 per thousand cubic feet _ a record high.

The cold front that brought a winter mix of rain, sleet and snow stranded passengers at airports, forced some schools to close, sent the homeless running for shelter and created treacherous driving conditions.

From 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Tulsa police reported nearly 100 reports of traffic accidents.

``It was a busy morning and early afternoon,'' said Officer Lucky Lamons. ``There were 15 accidents without injuries, 41 where we had to respond because of possible injuries, 27 that had injuries, and 13 hit-and-runs.''

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Stan Roberts said dozens of accidents _ most of them single-car crashes _ were reported on state and county roads.

Ice and fog were listed as possible causes for a head-on collision that killed four people Sunday afternoon in the Oklahoma Panhandle, the highway patrol said.

Dead were Gerhard Rempel, 36, and Agetha Rempel, 35, both of Montezuma, Kan. Also killed were Daniel Paul Kearn, 35, and Crystal Anne Williams, 33, both of Prescott, Ariz.

Some schools in northeast Oklahoma canceled classes or let out early because of slick streets and roads. Tulsa held school but buses ran late, said spokesman John Hamill.

Although the Tulsa International Airport didn't experience direct delays, many airlines had flight cancellations and delays in other cities, including Chicago and Denver. Those problems affected the flow of air traffic in Tulsa, said David Ryan, senior safety officer at the airport.

American Airlines spokesman Marty Heires said the blizzard in the Chicago area Monday forced American to cancel about 60 percent of its flights into and out of O'Hare. Snow continued to accumulate at the rate of 1 inch an hour late Monday in Chicago, causing some concern about flights Tuesday.

The Salvation Army in Tulsa witnessed its largest overnight stay in years, said Tracey Redmon, director of social services.

``Last night we had 293 stay at our shelter. We have been having a lot of visitors lately _ averaging around 250 _ but last night topped everything,'' she said Monday.

The 350-bed facility is equipped to host more people if needed, Redmon said.

Sandra Holden of the Day Center for the Homeless also saw more people.

``The weather is part of what brought most of our guests to us,'' she said.

Serving 500 people, including families, Holden said the numbers are an increase of about 100 people.

``The best thing to know is, they are safe and we are here for them if they need us,'' she said.