Weathering the storm: Community members help each other
Is another round of storms in store for Marion County?
Staff reporter
The Marion community came together this past week, and with neighbor helping neighbor, survived the worst ice storm in recent memory.
Residents without electricity stayed with those who had a generator or other means of keeping warm.
When the crisis was over and cleanup began, neighbors assisted each other with removal of tree branches and debris.
It began the morning of Jan. 4 with rain. By early afternoon, the rain had turned to ice droplets and began freezing on power lines.
The weight of ice on tree limbs and power lines caused limbs and lines to snap, making most Marion residents experience their first night in the cold and dark.
Crews worked all night and power was restored for most residents by 8 p.m. Jan. 5.
Another short blackout occurred Thursday afternoon and the problem was corrected by early evening.
Electrical crews from Hillsboro and Herington, as part of a mutual aid agreement, assisted local crews with repairs.
Galaxy Cablevision linemen from other parts of the state and country also were in Marion, assisting with restoration of cable television service.
Marion police chief Michel Soyez reported no incidents related to the blackout such as theft or looting.
Officers patrolled the community during the outage, looking for possible signs of break-ins.
They provided assistance to city crews by looking for downed power lines.
After power was restored Wednesday for the majority of Marion residents, Soyez said his department had a list of customers who did not have service.
"We made welfare checks on those people," Soyez said.
Officers also looked for homes with candles and went door-to-door in some cases to check individuals.
Soyez said this type of emergency is different from any other.
"A tornado is a one-time event," Soyez said. "The storm goes through and repair and cleanup can begin right away."
An ice storm is a continuous problem.
"An area may be fine one minute and then a line snaps," Soyez said. He added crews were constantly rechecking areas because of the constant change in conditions.
Care facilities assist community
Kitchen staff at St. Luke Hospital & Living Center provided coffee and pastries to city and county workers during the countywide emergency.
Linda Kannady, acting co-director of nursing at St. Luke Hospital, said staff members who weren't scheduled to work came in to assist.
"Staff members responded very well to the situation," Kannady said. "They filled in wherever they were needed."
The hospital has an emergency plan for such cases.
Family members came with staff, just to keep warm.
The hospital has a back-up generator that does not heat the entire hospital. Hallways and some rooms had heat which made the rest of the hospital bearable.
"It was warmer than being at home without heat," Kannady said. Extra blankets and space heaters were provided to patients.
The generator supplied electricity to one outlet in each hospital room for oxygen and intravenous equipment.
As night time came and darkness descended, people became anxious and began to call the hospital, asking for a warm place to sleep.
The hospital was near capacity with patients and rooms reserved for emergencies.
"It was difficult to turn people away," Kannady said.
People who called the hospital were referred to Marion Manor, which had auxiliary power from a generator, borrowed from the county, to maintain its hot water and boiler systems.
"The county was wonderful with helping us with that," said Ruth Falk, executive director of Marion Manor. "It was really appreciated."
Twelve people from the community spent the first night without heat at the facility, Falk said, and three spent a second night.
The boiler system continued to work during that time.
"The fan wasn't working but we had plenty of heat," Falk said. "The water wasn't affected, and we had food. Everyone was very comfortable."
The facility has 48 residents. Additional staff, mostly department heads, stayed to help out during the crisis.
If a storm should strike again, Falk said people are welcome to stay at the facility.
"We are very prepared," Falk said. "We have additional food and blankets. Just call us."
Cleanup
This past weekend, caravans of pickup trucks and trailers could be seen going to and from the city's tree dump site on South Third Street.
Load after load was taken to the site with city personnel periodically burning the huge piles.
Utility companies worked throughout the weekend to repair lines and restore common luxuries such as electricity, cable, and telephone service.
The city's tree dump will remain open 24 hours a day until cleanup has been completed.
City crews began hauling debris piles from curbs Monday in an effort to clear the streets before the next possible wave.
