Copyright ©2010. The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Residents cope while Marlow’s lights stay off
BY JENNIFER GRISWOLD
|
Published: February 2, 2010
Oklahoman
Leave a comment
MARLOW — Seven people are staying in Sandra Whitehead’s trailer, trying to stay warm with the heat from a small, gas cook stove.
Marlow, a community of about 5,000 in southwest
Oklahoma, has been without power since an ice storm hit Thursday. City leaders have been told it could be Friday before the lights start to come back on.
The Marlow city limit sign on the south side of town is covered in ice February 01, 2010. Marlow has been without power since an ice storm hit the area last Thursday. Photo by Steve Gooch
Multimedia
Related content
NewsOK Related Articles
The Whitehead family has tried to make the best of the situation, playing board games and checkers while they wait for power to be restored. Help can’t come soon enough, Whitehead said.
The family of four adults and three children is running low on groceries. The banks are closed, so they can’t get any money, she said.
"We’re getting down to the nitty gritty, but still yet, everybody’s eating something. It may not be what they want, but it’s something,” she said.
Monday, the family went to an emergency shelter, which had been set up recently, so they could get a hot meal.
Whitehead’s grandson, Patrick, 13, said it’s been a hard few days.
"We have no clean clothes,” he said, "and we haven’t had that much light.”
Sandra Whitehead said she plans to wash clothes by hand if the power doesn’t come on soon.
Residents of Marlow are starting to get desperate, wondering when they’ll have power again.
Several miles of power lines are down both north and south of the city, said Jerome McCalvin, emergency management director. Many of the poles snapped under the weight of the ice on the lines.
It’s been difficult to get information out to people since the local radio station is down, too, televisions aren’t working and many telephones require electricity to work, McCalvin said.
About 40 volunteers gathered Monday afternoon at the Marlow school gymnasium to pass out fliers door-to-door, updating people on what’s happening in the city.
The fliers include emergency numbers to call, updates on school closings and information on the emergency shelter.
News Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
If you prefer your thoughts to appear in The Oklahoman, we encourage you to submit a letter to the editor.
Would you like to leave a comment?
Log in or sign up (it's free).