A winter-like storm hit the Midwest over the weekend and on Monday, causing massive power outages and at least 13 deaths, according to reports. The storm is expected to get worse and widen its icy grip -- ice and winter storm warning were posted by the National Weather Service for Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa, and the warnings weren’t expected to be lifted until at least after Tuesday morning.

Here are some reports – including safety tips – from GateHouse newspapers in the affected areas:

Missouri governor assesses damage

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. - Several lake area communities including Eldon have quite a way to go until things return to normal after a winter storm brought down trees, knocked out power and left thousands of residents without electricity.

Several hundred workers were on site attempting to restore service in the Eldon community, the hardest hit area of Miller County. Ice-covered limbs and power lines littered roadways and smashed into homes and vehicles throughout the community.

AmerenUE spokesman Mike Cleary said nearly 22,000 customers in Eldon, Versailles and Jefferson City, Mo., were in the dark Monday, and while workers are doing their best to restore power, it is difficult to make any headway. In some areas where electricity was returned to homes, it was back out again hours later.

Cleary said more than 200 workers were brought in with about 300 more expected to arrive today. A storm trailer was also set up in town to give workers access to equipment in order to make repairs as quickly as possible, he said.
Residents were seen out in their yards trying to pick up debris, and crews were making progress clearing away blocked roads.

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt made an unexpected visit Monday to Eldon to assess the damage. He stopped by city hall to visit with officials and was expected to make a trip to the local shelter but did not show up when the power went out.

- Lake Sun Leader

Man killed in storm-related incident

CARTHAGE, Mo. - An elderly Oronogo man was killed while clearing limbs at his home, and Carthage Water and Electric said it has answered about 1,500 calls for assistance as the area dug out from under a major ice storm late Monday.

Jasper County Coroner Jerry Neil said a 92-year-old Oronogo man was killed when he was hit in the head by a tree limb. Neil said he did not have any details about what the man was doing or how the accident happened, but he did say it was weather-related. Neil said he was withholding the name of the victim pending the notification of family.

Weather-related traffic accidents sent four Carthage residents and two Jasper residents to area hospitals Monday afternoon.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said an accident at 10:05 a.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 71, five miles south of Joplin sent Carthage residents Rosario M. Salvador, 23; and Linda Terino, 29 to the hospital. Carthage resident Raul F. Gonzales-Rodas, 48 was not injured in the accident.

Another accident, at 1:40 p.m. Monday on Civil War Road at Kafir Road, five miles north of Carthage injured Jonathan L. Gonzales, 26, Carthage; Lawrence M. Graham, 39, Jasper; Jase A. Hermann, 7, Carthage and Boud L. Sloan, 41, Jasper.

Carthage Fire Chief John Cooper said firefighters had been called out of the station more than 55 times on a variety of different kinds of calls. He said 45 of those calls required an entire crew to respond, while between 10 and 12 calls were handled by a single firefighter. The calls ranged from medical calls and reports of trees and power lines down to smoke in homes and a furnace on fire on Highland Street Shortly after 4 p.m. Monday.

Chuck Bryant, director of marketing and technical services with Carthage Water and Electric Plant, said the utility will have crews out overnight working to cut tree limbs and repair feeder lines.

“Our feeder lines have been a major issue today,” Bryant said. “We’ll work to reset some feeder lines in one part of the city, then something will happen to other lines as soon as we’re done. We’re just able to solve one problem in time to be called out to tackle another one.”

Bryant said late Monday utility staff had answered more than 1,700 calls for service on Monday, and between 1,300 and 1,400 were calls from people without power.

Cooper said the warming shelter at the Fairview Christian Church on Grand Avenue was still open and will remain open all night if necessary.

Caroline Stinebrook, with the Red Cross, said as of 5:30 p.m., approximately 30 people were at the church, and about 10 volunteers were helping feed them and keep them comfortable.

- Carthage Press

Weekend ice storm leaves more than 10,000 in lake area without power

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. - More than 10,000 households were without electricity Sunday after a wintery mix moved through the lake area during the early morning hours. Downed power lines and trees left parts of Miller and Morgan County without power as temperatures dropped below 20 degrees.

Particularly hard hit were parts of Morgan County from the Camden County line over to Versailles.

In Morgan County, residents who need emergency shelter can take refuge at the Justice Center in Versailles.

In the Eldon area, the storm literally shut down the city. Officials are asking residents to stay off streets due to falling limbs and downed power lines. By late Sunday afternoon, nearly 100 residents, many of them senior citizens were taking advantage of an emergency shelter set up at the Community Center.

Emergency crews were working through the night to restore and clear roadways. AmerenUE and Co-Mo Electric estimated that combined, the two service providers had 10,000 customers without service.

Officials say it's too soon to assess damage. The heavy accumulation of ice continues to cause problems as more trees and limbs fall, blocking roadways and taking down power lines. Power companies will restore power as soon as possible.

- Lake Sun Leader

Emergency shelter in place

SHAWNEE, Okla. -- An emergency shelter has been set up in Shawnee for those who have lost power and heat during this ice storm.

The conference center at the Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center, U.S. 177 and Independence, is open to those who need a warm place to stay, said Jennifer Dawson with the Shawnee/Pottawatomie County Emergency Operations Center.

The center is set up for about 1,000 people, she said. Those seeking shelter will need to bring identification, along with any prescription medicines they normally take, and their own personal toiletry items. They also should brings blankets or sleeping bags if they have them, Dawson said.

The shelter is being set up by the American Red Cross, she said. No pets are allowed, unless they are service animals.

“Everybody’s been pulling together to get the shelter up and going,” Dawson said. The center will be open as long as it is needed.

“It will probably get worse before it gets better.”

As the storm progressed, city of Shawnee crews had a busy Monday morning clearing roads and setting up the shelter.

City Manager Jim Collard said crews began clearing streets from the night’s ice storm that left many without electricity at 2 a.m. Monday. As of 11 a.m. 3,300 people were still without electricity in Shawnee and surrounding areas. OG&E and CVEC worked to correct problems, but electricity concerns were an issue most of the day.

Collard said they are working with the American Red Cross to ensure citizens have access to supplies needed during this weather. He said they’ve also doubled up on staffing at the police department.

Officials said the roads aren’t too slick, but they may be filled with fallen tree limbs. Collard encourages people to stay home if they can.

- Shawnee News-Star

Storm reminiscent of crippling January one

NEWTONIA, Mo. -- Here we go again. The towns of Newtonia and Stark City are without power after an ice storm hit Southwest Missouri on Sunday — nearly 11 months after the January 2007 ice storm that crippled the region for up to two weeks.

Newtonia Mayor Dee Wormington said the electrical power went off shortly after 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

“I pray to the good Lord that we don’t go without power for another 11 days,” Wormington said. “I don’t think I could handle it.”

Wormington, along with other residents, contacted Empire District Electric after the outage.

“At this time, the people up north are getting it a whole lot worse than we are,” Wormington said.

The mayor said the small community is prepared for an ice storm this time around.

“Believe it or not, we do have a contingency plan,” she said. “We have Newtonia City Hall set up, and we had gas lines put in and a gas heater, a gas stove that we can hook up to so that we can have showers, and everything else if it becomes necessary.”

Wormington said residents would have to bring their own food and their own cots to stay at city hall. The Newtonia City Hall could accommodate 10 to 15 people in a town of a little more than 200 residents.

Less than a mile south is Stark City, where Mayor Ed Schultz said, “Empire District is taking reports on who is out, and they have not told us what the problem is.”

Schultz said the Stark City Fire Department has generators and is set up to cook food for residents if there is a need.

- Neosho Daily News

Restoring power a slow process

Although power has been restored to about 2,000 homes, some 59,000 Empire District Electric Company customers remained without electricity as of late Monday afternoon.

Amy Bass, director of communications for the electric company, said she didn’t have site specific information, but added most of the outages were in the company’s coverage area north of Neosho, including Joplin, Webb City and the Kansas towns of Columbus, Baxter Springs and Galena.

“Those were the hardest hit areas,” she said. “Neosho has not been impacted very hard at all, compared to these areas. We have seen some outages today that we were not seeing yesterday.”

Outages were reported in part of Neosho on Monday, including the central part of the community. Power was out Monday to several businesses, including Wal-Mart, Crowder College and the Freeman Southwest Family YMCA.

Empire is trying to get line crews in from neighboring electric company providers.

“Because the storm is so widespread, a lot of neighboring utilities are reluctant to let their crews go,” she said.

Instead, Empire is getting contract crews, linemen which work for private companies, not public utility firms, Bass said.

Mark Rakes, spokesman for New-Mac Electric Cooperative, said just fewer than 5,000 of his company’s customers remained without power. This is because the cooperative had a substation go down in Goodman Monday afternoon, leaving 1,800 homes there and in part of Anderson without power. But power had been restored there later Monday.

New-Mac has crews working around the clock to restore power, but Rakes wasn’t optimistic many more homes would be back on-line this evening.

About 20 line crew workers are expected to arrive in Neosho on Tuesday morning to assist in restoring power, Rakes said.

- Neosho Daily News

Law enforcement officials urge caution when driving in wintery conditions

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- Slow down. That’s the advice local law enforcement officials offer for people driving in winter weather.

Traffic Sgt. Kevin Crim, Leavenworth Police Department, said Leavenworth officers responded to more than 10 accidents during a recent snowstorm. He estimated 90 percent of the accidents resulted from people driving too fast and not being able to control their vehicle.

Lansing Police Chief Steve Wayman said posted speed limits are for ideal weather conditions. He said people should allow for more time to reach their destinations when road conditions are bad.

Crim said people also should leave plenty of distance between themselves and other vehicles on the road. He recommended allowing for two times the normal distance.

Wayman said four-wheel drive may give vehicles better traction, but they can’t stop any faster than other cars on slick roads.

He also suggested that people check their vehicles. He said it’s important to have decent tires.

For drivers who are in accidents, Crim suggested they wait in their cars while remaining at the scene.

“Don’t stand out in the middle of the road,” Crim said.

- Leavenworth Times

Be prepared for the worst

AUGUSTA, Kan. -- Weather forecasters are predicting Kansans will see potentially severe winter weather starting tonight and into tomorrow with freezing rain, sleet, snow and ice.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management encourages all Kansans to be prepared for severe weather by having a home emergency kit, including food, water, medications, extra clothing, flashlights and batteries, a battery-operated NOAA weather radio and other necessities.

“Winter weather presents its own set of unique challenges,” said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, director of Kansas Division of Emergency Management and the adjutant general of Kansas. “Blizzard conditions are not uncommon across the state and anyone unprepared for an emergency situation could be in real trouble, particularly in rural areas.

“That’s why it’s critical to have an emergency kit in your home for you and your family. You may not be able to travel to a store and you might be without power, so have what you need in your home kit.”

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation.

• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food for each person.

• Battery-operated or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both

• Flashlight and extra batteries

• First aid kit

• Whistle to signal for help

• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)

• Local maps

Road travel is discouraged during storm situations, but if you must travel, make sure your vehicle’s fuel tank is full.

“Keep at least a half a tank of gas in your car at all times,” said Bunting. “If you have just a quarter of a tank of gas and get stranded along the highway, or stuck in traffic for a while, you’ll quickly be on empty.”

Recommended Items to Include in a Vehicle Emergency Kit:

• Shovel

• Windshield scraper and small broom

• Flashlight

• Battery powered radio

• Extra batteries

• Water

• Snack food

• Matches

• Extra hats, socks and mittens

• First-aid kit with pocket knife

• Necessary medications

• Blanket(s)

• Tow chain or rope

• Road salt and sand

• Booster cables

• Emergency flares

• Fluorescent distress flag

- Augusta Gazette