How did you deal with the ice storm?

[Ozarks21]

Springfield is nowhere near having all the debris removed. The neighborhoods with mature trees look like the streets are lined with six-foot tall beaver dams. I think the time estimates for removal are measured in months.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by Ozarks21

Springfield is nowhere near having all the debris removed. The neighborhoods with mature trees look like the streets are lined with six-foot tall beaver dams. I think the time estimates for removal are measured in months.

I'm not the least surprised to read that Ozarks. Like I said, I haven't truly been "in" Springfield for a few weeks other than skimming the outer edge to food shop.
But from what I saw there when I was in Springfield purposely driving around to see the extent of the damage....it was massive and I had a hard time believing that it could be cleaned up anytime soon.
Plus, I have the advantage of living in the country with no restrictions. I'm burning all my debris and I believe we've probably burned close to 25-30 tons of fallen trees and limbs. We've had a massive effort to clean things up over a month, as soon as the ice had retreated a bit, and I got very, very lucky as my neighbor's church group sent all their teenage boys who are 17 or older to help us and then the older men (including me) directed the removal and we have done the sawing and dragging (meaning attaching a thick steel chain to a huge limb and then dragging it to a fire where we cut it up and the boys toss it into the fires). Those boys though have been fantastic. So we don't have to worry about someone coming to pick this stuff up. We have four sites we burn at now and I've got two and my neighbor has two. The fires have been ENORMOUS and a couple of the guys threw heavy logs into the fires and got too close...one lost a lot of his hair on top of his head and his sideburns, and a few guys have singed whiskers and head hair..!!! We don't let the younger boys get too close to dangerous tree pieces hanging from far up that got stuck when they collapsed and haven't yet come down. I have that one huge one still and we'll rope it and drag it with a large truck this coming Saturday to get it to come down. Then I'm done after the property is raked.
But for folks in town, many who are single females or elderly, or simply people who don't have the physical strength or tools, or the money to attack the amount of debris that came down, they're stuck in a bad dilemma and I wish the city would just recognize that some people just can't do it themselves and set up a crew specifically to address that issue. I'm unaware of such an effort if it exists. Though, I saw on the news that an Indian tribe came out from the West to volunteer to help! That touched me greatly!!!
But no, I'm not surprised that Springfield is still choked. I would be too if it weren't for the best neighbors on the planet.

[NOLA2SGF]

Ozarks21, thanks for the report. It's possible that we may visit Springfield over Mardi Gras, and if so it sounds like there will still be a lot of debris when we get there. That's a lot of wood, to be stacked that high by the sides of the roads!

Mark, that was nice of the Indian tribe to offer to help! I'm surprised that most of the fallen trees in Springfield itself have not been sawed up and stacked for firewood. Maybe there is just too much for that.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by NOLA2SGF

Ozarks21, thanks for the report. It's possible that we may visit Springfield over Mardi Gras, and if so it sounds like there will still be a lot of debris when we get there. That's a lot of wood, to be stacked that high by the sides of the roads!

Mark, that was nice of the Indian tribe to offer to help! I'm surprised that most of the fallen trees in Springfield itself have not been sawed up and stacked for firewood. Maybe there is just too much for that.

I think it's that most people simply don't have the tools, or the space to store the wood...and lots don't even have fireplaces. There's enough wood to burn for years I imagine.
Yeah, isn't that cool about the Indians? I'm going to write that tribe (have to look who they are up again) a "Thank you" note

[Darren Stewart]

Driving around the Ozarks you can definitely see that this was a wide spread disaster, its amazing to me. One of the main corridors North and South in Springfield is National avenue, and as I drove that the other day I thought the entire view has changed and realized how more "opened up" it looks due to the fact that the branches were down. We lost power and went to my moms she lost power and water and we hit the hotel. It was an experience to say the least and this was the worst ice storm i can remember.

We always have our tornado kit ready we now have added blankets and some other things for ice storm.

[gonefishing]

Originally Posted by Darren Stewart

.... as I drove that the other day I thought the entire view has changed and realized how more "opened up" it looks due to the fact that the branches were down.

I know it is sad but since it can't be changed is there anyway that you might think that being "opened up" like that could be considered a good thing?

MoMark--You were talking about the fires to burn the trees. We used to go to my grandparents after he'd been cleaning brush and we loved to have "weenie roasts". I don't know if you have ever had one but if you have to do something like that maybe it could still make a good memory for you--- friends roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate around the fire.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by shyandretiring

I know it is sad but since it can't be changed is there anyway that you might think that being "opened up" like that could be considered a good thing?

MoMark--You were talking about the fires to burn the trees. We used to go to my grandparents after he'd been cleaning brush and we loved to have "weenie roasts". I don't know if you have ever had one but if you have to do something like that maybe it could still make a good memory for you--- friends roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate around the fire.

I'd love to have roasted a hot dog or two...but remember, while we were burning this debris, tons and tons of it, it was anywhere from 15F to 28F, windy and/or snowing at the same time and I was freezing my patootie off. I'm pretty sure that my reproductive equipment has suffered irreversible damage.
I drove into Springfield today to satisfy a rare Taco Bell urge and noticed out in the country that people are piling the debris next to the county roads. I don't know if they have been told to or if there's a burn ban.
I'm just glad I burned mine as that's really the easiest way to get rid of it.

[gonefishing]

Originally Posted by MoMark

I'd love to have roasted a hot dog or two...but remember, while we were burning this debris, tons and tons of it, it was anywhere from 15F to 28F, windy and/or snowing at the same time and I was freezing my patootie off.

I have relatives who spent part of the year at their farm in Mississippi. Their friends there weren't familiar with hay rides and weiner roasts so they had one on a cold day. It got to be when my relatives would go there, no matter that it was too warm the "gang" all wanted to have a weiner roast. So there they were on a warm spring day toasting themselves along with their marshmallows and hot dogs.