McAlester Digs Out From A Thick Coat Of Ice

The city of McAlester has been left in the cold by our latest winter blast. News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan is in McAlester with more. <br/><br/>A lot of folks are happy the storm is over, but the potential

Monday, January 15th 2007, 10:40 am

By: News On 6

The city of McAlester has been left in the cold by our latest winter blast. News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan is in McAlester with more.

A lot of folks are happy the storm is over, but the potential for even further damage is not over in McAlester. In one neighborhood every tree is broken, and under the weight of two inches of ice more branches are snapping.

Even though there could be more damage there cannot be anyone else left without power, thatâ€™s because the entire city, homes and businesses alike, are without power. Many of the power lines around town are down, and many more are at their breaking point. Trees are also a problem; falling branches are landing on power lines, increasing the problem.

The power company has 500 people working to clear the trees right now, but for line repair theyâ€™re focused only on critical areas like hospitals and other emergency services.

So McAlester residents can expect to have a tough couple of days.

"Socked in! Got roads pretty bad out by the house, trees falling down into the roads, my driveway was blocked, I had to cut trees just to get out!" McAlester resident Kurt Trion said.

The damage in McAlester is so extensive that the out of town power crews have been told they will be trimming trees for at least a week. They have to clear all the lines before any repairs can be made, so thereâ€™s no real time table for how long those repairs will take.