Man, I have had so many hits on my blog this week! I've been emailed, called, stopped at stores, and even a message arrived in a bottle on the banks of the Mississippi River(no, really, because Internet and phone lines were down!) about the images I've posted of the Bootheel Blizzard. I'm glad that so many of you have had a glimpse of what we went through here, if you didn't get to witness it first-hand. The last ice storm to hit here was in 1978(or 1979, I'm not sure because I heard 1978 and 1979). I was told by a man that lived through that one that this storm was worse. So if you lived here then but don't now, maybe that could give you something by which to gauge this ice storm.
As I mentioned in my last post, clean up has been underway and great progress is being made. Except for my yard, but that's another story. We Bootheel-ians are quite resilient. The businesses are up and running again and the power trucks are dwindling by the day. Last Wednesday(January 28), we drove around town and I documented various locations and businesses. It really was like a ghost-town, except people were scurrying around everywhere, so I guess it really doesn't make it a ghost town. Oh nevermind. It just looked strange that no businesses were opened, except one convenience store. There was no power, no gas, but there was a line of people waiting to get inside to buy whatever they could off the shelves. Now, that's business as usual!
Okay, I'm attaching images from around town during the day and a few from night, which aren't very clear because I couldn't expose for such darkness. But you'll get the idea that it was dark. By the way, none of the images that I'm posting are edited, with the exception of the frozen, freaky tree. They are just straight out of the camera(SOOC, or SOTC, or SOOTC, whatever you choose. Who cares.)
Oh, by the way, I didn't really get a message in a bottle. Actually, the message was packed in a floating cardboard box, but since cardboard is not waterproof, I never received it.
Going south on N. 6th St.
Traveling west on Hwy. 84
Look at the line of people, cars filled the parking lot!
Pizza Hut took a beating--that pole ended up breaking!
Going east on Hwy. 84, heading up the overpass
Looking south at I-55 from the overpass
A view of some of the power trucks at Pilot's
Going east to Caruthersville--Check out all the downed poles! I think a lot of these ending up breaking.
Heading west back to Hayti
The line of people waiting on gas, yes they were in the right lane on the highway waiting!
This is the hospital emergency entrance. Notice the cones where power lines snapped and damaged vehicles and even an ambulance!
Another east view of our house--not very pretty, but thank God, that big tree never split!
West view of Hwy. 84 west of railroad tracks
Pitch black in Hayti--curfew imposed from dusk to dawn
More images to come soon
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