14icestorm

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Simpson

2.17.2009


The small towns of Tilly, Flippin and Rose Bud may be more prepared for power outages initially, but without the federal aid that larger towns receive, potentially harder problems to prepare for have risen. Arkansans faced a variety of circumstances in the January ice storm, from humorous to tragic experiences. Many Fayetteville residents were upset to lose electricity, heat, work hours, and fall behind on school work for an average of a week, but some small towns are still without basic necessities and have much longer to wait. One such town was Tilly, Ark., located between Marshall and Clinton. According to 40/29 News, Tilly residents will not have power restored for about another six weeks.


Though schools in Flippin, Ark., were delayed for about the same amount of time as the Fayetteville school district, citizens there had more conflict involved in their clean up experience. Although the city does provide a service for picking up debris, Flippin Fire Chief Keith Katcher estimates the earliest completion of pick up will be April 1st. Many residents then took to cleaning up and burning the debris around their houses, especially since the burn ban ended in the event of the ice storm. “We have taught the community safe practices that should prevent the fires from getting out of hand,” said Katcher.


Although no fires were reported to stem from the debris burning, an abandoned house burned down completely, while two other occupied houses also caught fire. The local fire department salvaged these two homes before much damage was done. Problems within the two houses caused the fires to start when the electricity was restored. Knowledge of the abandoned house fire came too late for the Flippin Fire Department to recover it, so the cause of the fire is still unknown. During the ice storm, Katcher ensured that the two paid firemen and 14 volunteers worked dovetailed shifts, enabling 24 hour coverage of the city for three or four days.


According to Katcher, the city’s main concern in facing the aftermath of the ice storm is reimbursement. Since the town of Flippin’s budget comes solely from taxes, he is anxious that the town could face bankruptcy if the town government is not cautious. “Our concern is more like how we spend it [town budget] instead of how much we spend, since it is up in the air if FEMA will help us,” said Katcher.
Other than Flippin’s pick up goal, only the smallest of the surrounding communities, Bull Shoals provided the city service of picking up debris within the town limits. “The Flippin Fire Department made efforts to remove all trees from the highways and some driveways, but they were not held responsible past that point,” said Katcher.


Most businesses in Flippin were shut down for the first week of the ice storm, but the largest store in town, Wal-Mart, used a generator to continue services. This became people’s primary choice for business. “People were hanging out in Wal-Mart just to be in the heat and out of the dark,” said a local university student and Arvest Bank teller, Sarah Jefferson. She went on to say that others were desperate enough to spend time running their cars to warm up for a while. While Jefferson was without electricity for ten days, some residents that lived nearby were without for only a day, and still others are currently without. The wide range of circumstances seemed to catch the community off guard. Citizens have continued clean up efforts to speed up recovery, including Jefferson’s husband, who spent the majority of Valentine’s Day cleaning up fallen limbs.


The Arvest Bank of Flippin had a high reputation for rarely closing, with only one absence in its history, but Jefferson said they had to shut down on January 28th, for at least one full day during the ice storm. Local Flippin efforts to push the community through the crisis included shelters set up by two local churches and one by the Masonic Lodge. Jefferson’s church was not able to help, since it was out of power as well. Donations were taken throughout the town by at least four businesses for school children to receive food, water, and some clothing, since laundry was inaccessible. Though Flippin residents are concerned about their own situation, they are also sympathetic to nearby Bruno, Ark., where residents expect to be without electricity until mid-March.


Rose Bud, Ark., residents stormed the local grocery store, Carroll’s for supplies after school on Monday, Jan. 26th, to brace themselves for the storm. Some families had generators, gas fireplaces, gas cooking ranges, oil lamps, candles, while some elderly couples continued to make use of their woodstoves. School was postponed for two days, despite other schools remaining in session. “Our school has to close more often than the surrounding areas because the area is rural, spread out, and not easy to access in inclement weather,” said Rose Bud Elementary teacher, Judy Robertson. “Many students live on long dirt roads and isolated hills that are dangerous for large vehicles, such as busses, to trek.”


The nearby Searcy School District had next to no damage and students were not excused from school a single day. Harding Academy Teacher Robert Allen was not only prepared for the storm, but also became excited at the possibility of a day off, so he stayed up late on the first evening of the storm. When he had to report to work the next morning after little rest, he claimed, “The weatherman schooled the teacher.”


Many young Fayetteville residents had less gas appliances, oil lamps, candles, and non-perishable items, but that didn’t stop them from taking advantage of living in a large town. Residents spent that time together and some found creative ways to become less uncomfortable.


U of A student, Shadi Jamshidy was without electricity for five days. On the first day of the storm, she didn’t realize that the loud cracking sounds were the destruction of trees in the area. Upon walking outside, “I saw all of the trees were broken. Every time I would hear that noise, it would make me sad,” said Jamshidy. That evening, she heated a kettle of water for tea through candle convection, which came at a high price. The few large candles she had purchased at Wal-Mart had cost nearly thirty dollars.


VA Physician, Bronson Stillwell explained how his live-in U of A students spent their week immobilized by ice. “Everyone in our house slept in the apartment next door. This included six to nine people each night in sleeping bags slept in the same room where a gas stove top kept them warm,” said Stilwell. The large group spent time playing board games, sharing stories, and strengthening their bond as roommates.
Although preparation and recovery time differed for small and large towns, there were a few similarities in the way the towns handled the crisis. In Flippin, Rose Bud, and Fayetteville many people opened their homes and shared food, water, electricity, a warm place to sleep, and even turned to Wal-Mart for necessary supplies. It seems that citizens of larger towns simply do not have to be as prepared as the residents of small towns, since they are closer to the front of the line for recovery.