JANUARY 14, 2010 ISSUE
3 Weeks of Snowy White, Freezing, Icy Cold... Hell
High Country Takes Worst Winter Weather Beating in Decade
Diligent Workers and Good Neighbors Helping Community Through
Ice, snow and chaos. It began before Christmas and seems to be ongoing.
Fortunately for High Country residents, dedicated workers from entities such as the Town of Boone, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the electric companies, American Red Cross and more have worked long hours, and continue to, in order to keep roads usable and power on.
For many, the winter truly kicked off from December 18 to 20, when one to two feet of snow fell in the High Country, marking the biggest snowstorm of the decade and one of the four largest in the past 20 years, according to www.raysweather.com.
The snowstorm kept students out of school and left NCDOT and Town of Boone Public Works scrambling to keep roads salted and plowed—and then the Christmas Day Ice Storm wreaked much more havoc on the area.
According to www.raysweather.com, the freezing rain that fell on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning covered the eastern half of the High Country with .5-inch to one inch of ice and toppled countless trees.
Students missed more school, tons upon tons of additional salt were required and the state of emergency declared for Watauga County was not lifted until Wednesday, December 30.
At the height of the power outages caused by the ice storm, more than 25,000 Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation members were without power. Consequently, the Watauga County Chapter of the American Red Cross operated three shelters in the area for a week following the storm.
What’s With the Weather?
The above charts show the daily high and low temperatures for Boone and Beech Mountain from December 18 to January 12. Boone temperatures are provided courtesy of www.raysweather.com and Beech Mountain temperatures are from Fred’s General Mercantile, a recording station for the National Weather Service.The light blue background indicates temperatures at or below freezing.
The cold snap that has prevailed thus far in 2010—coming on the heels of several weeks of incessant snowfall and the ice storm—has perpetuated winter weather as the hot conversation topic in the High Country for everyone, from people you pass on the street to weather experts themselves.
Winter 2009-10, although far from over, is already one that will undoubtedly live in locals’ memories (and in record books) for years to come.
In a press release, Dr. Ray Russell of www.raysweather.com said that temperatures have been below normal since December 18, and that a new record was set for Boone: for five consecutive days, from Saturday to Wednesday, January 2 to 6, the temperature never reached 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to www.raysweather.com, as of Tuesday, January 12, the average temperature in Boone for the month of January was 16.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmest temperature of the New Year so far was 37.5 degrees, which was recorded on January 1 at 12:05 a.m., and the coldest temperature of 2010 to date was 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit, recorded on January 8 at 8:27 a.m.
Beech Mountain residents experienced even colder temperatures.
From weather statistics reported by Fred’s General Mercantile, a recording station for the National Weather Service, the coldest temperature of the New Year was minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit on January 9, and the average high temperature for the month to date is 13.4 degrees.
Also according to data from Fred’s, Beech Mountain has received 42.4 inches of snow recently: 26.4 inches of snow in December and 16 inches thus far in January.
Ice Storm Causes Power Outages, Up to a Week For Some in Watauga County
BREMCO linemen work to replace a power pole in a remote location after the ice storm. Photo submitted
Power outages due to the ice storm began Friday, December 25, at 5:00 a.m., and, by 9:00 a.m., about 12,500 members of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation (BREMCO) were without power.
The electric cooperative serves about 73,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes, Avery and Alexander counties.
By 11:00 a.m. on Christmas morning, more than 21,000 members in the mountains and foothills were without power, and 12,922 of the outages were concentrated in Watauga County. In Ashe County, 5,678 members were without power, 1,172 outages were reported in Caldwell County and there were 1,678 outages in Alleghany County.
At the height of the outages, more than 25,000 members were without power.
At 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 26, 15,500 members were without power in Watauga County and 6,000 were without power in Ashe County. In Alleghany County, power restoration was complete to all but 200 members, while only two people remained without power in Caldwell County.
As of 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 27, 9,300 members in Watauga County and about 1,300 in Ashe County remained without power.
As of 6:00 a.m. on Monday, December 28, 4,378 members in Watauga County and 700 in Ashe County remained without power.
As of Tuesday, December 29, power was fully restored in Ashe County, and 642 members remained without power in Watauga County.
Power was restored for all members in Watauga County on Thursday, December 31.
“More than half of our 7,000 miles of power lines were damaged in the ice storm,” said Renee Whitener, director of public relations for BREMCO.
The storm also brought down many trees, breaking 150 power poles. Many of the poles were in remote places—“places where we had to pull bulldozers in and use a helicopter to assess the damage,” Whitener said.
The linemen had to set power poles up primarily by hand in remote areas, without the assistance of line trucks, which made the process much lengthier, she added.
Peak Power Usage Record Set at BREMCO
The recent record cold spell has set a new record at BREMCO. According to a press release, a new peak record for power use was set on Friday evening, January 8, when electricity demand from members hit 340 megawatts.
Peak usage measures electricity usage in a one-hour period, Whitener said.
“Heat pumps have to work harder when it’s cold,” Whitener explained. “You’re inside more this time of year anyways [and] using more hot water.”
Although the energy use of individual homes depends upon many factors, such as the quality of insulation and how energy-conscious residents are, the cold weather has driven up electricity bills across the board, she said.
In response to the higher costs, BREMCO is offering members a “more manageable way to pay bills” in the form of special payment plans that spread out payments over a longer period of time, Whitener said.
“We want to be there to help,” she said.
Additionally, help is available for those in need of financial crisis assistance through Operation Round Up, and the program has already seen a “great increase” in numbers of people utilizing it, Whitener said.
According to a press release, local community agencies disperse Operation Round Up funds to help with electric, fuel or weatherization assistance. Last year, 958 members received assistance that totaled more than $105,000.
To enroll for the special payment plan, members should call BREMCO at 828-264-8894. For assistance through Operation Round Up, members should call the Watauga County Department of Social Services at 828-265-8100.
Salt Usage in Watauga County Totals Almost 4,000 Tons
A truck dumps a load of debris from the ice storm at Horn in the West in Boone.
Between the more than 3,000 tons of salt utilized by NCDOT and the about 800 tons of salt placed on roads by the Town of Boone Public Works, almost 4,000 tons of salt have been required to melt snow and ice in Watauga County so far this winter.
The annual salt shipment for Town of Boone Public Works arrived in November, and about 800 tons of salt have been used as of Tuesday, January 12—with “the majority [used] from the 18th of December to now,” said Blake Brown, director of Public Works.
Additionally, Public Works has put down 250 tons of rock slag for traction, about 38,000 gallons of salt brine and $6,000 worth of ice melt (potassium chloride) for sidewalks, he said.
In cleaning up from the ice storm, Public Works has collected about 800 tons of debris, which are currently at Horn in the West awaiting disposal.
The clean-up process will likely take three to five more months, and Brown expects workers to collect a total of almost 3,000 tons of debris by the end of it, he said.
“I’m speculating for the worst and hoping for the best,” Brown said.
Since December 18, Public Works employees have put in about 2,800 man-hours for snow and debris removal, and Brown has already used about 60 percent of his overtime budget, he said.
Brown divided the town into four quadrants and is keeping at least one crew in each quadrant at all times, and more crews as necessary, he said.
“I’m about to submit another purchase order for another 500 tons [of salt],” Brown said, adding that hopefully that can “get us through the winter.”
Usually, Public Works’ purchase order is for 1,000 tons of salt each year, so the company will soon run out of that original order, he said.
Public Works put a comparably small total of 350 tons of salt on the roads last winter, Brown said.
Public Works recently purchased “a grapple bucket for our loader” and rented another grapple truck and skid steer loader to help remove snow and debris, Brown said.
Residents are encouraged to pile debris from their yards by the curb so Public Works personnel can remove it, he added.
The debris piled at Horn in the West will be sold to contracting companies, ground up and used for wood chips and heating purposes, Brown said.
As previously reported in High Country Press, by Monday morning, December 21, NCDOT had put down about 1,000 tons of salt on Watauga County roads and 700 tons of salt on Avery County roads.
Also on that Monday morning, Kevin Whittington, maintenance engineer for Watauga County, estimated that another 200 tons of salt would be used in Watauga County by that Monday afternoon.
In Watauga County, NCDOT put down more than 1,000 tons of small rocks on the roads to help with traction after the December snowstorm.
From the Christmas Day ice storm through Tuesday, January 12, NCDOT used another approximately 2,000 tons of salt and 2,100 tons of screenings (small aggregate stones for traction), Whittington said.
“We’ve had someone here every day since December 12,” he said, adding that since December 17, at least one NCDOT employee has been working at all times, day and night, and employees have only had one day off.
NCDOT employees worked comparable hours in 2004 because of flooding in the area, but it had been several years since they worked such long hours for weeks straight because of snow and ice—probably not since the late 1990s, Whittington said.
To find out about travel conditions, call 511, the state’s toll-free travel information line, or click to www.ncdot.gov/traffictravel. Brief updates for 16 different routes or regions of the state are available by signing up at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter.
Avery County Schools Miss Eight Days
Avery County students will not have a holiday this Monday, January 18, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because it will serve as a make-up day for one of the eight days missed due to inclement weather, said Renee Banner, Avery County Schools administrative assistant for child nutrition and auxiliary services.
As of press time, Avery County Schools will lose three days from spring break in early April, and the last day of school was moved from May 20 to May 21, according to Banner.
Three days will also be made up on Saturdays, she added.
Watauga County Schools Miss Nine Days
Watauga County Schools reopened on Monday, January 11, with a two-hour delay. The recent snow and ice storms had caused Watauga County Schools, as of press time, to miss nine school days: December 18, 21 and 22 and January 4 to 8 and 12.
“This makes our last day of school at this point May 31,” said Billie Hicklin, assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction for Watauga County Schools.
The 2009-10 school year began on August 12 and, originally, the last day of school was slated for May 20, Hicklin said.
According to a press release, Watauga County Schools will hold Saturday school this Saturday, January 16, to make up the missed day on Tuesday, January 12. School will begin at the usual time on Saturday, but elementary schools will dismiss at 12:00 p.m. and the high school will dismiss at 1:00 p.m.
School buses will run and lunch will be served, though lunch schedules will be advanced about 30 minutes ahead of the usual times. The after school program does not operate on Saturdays.
From this point forward in the current school year, schools will be open on Saturday in a week when schools are closed due to inclement weather on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, or any combination of these four days. Schools will not open on a Saturday if they are closed on the preceding Friday.
The decision to open schools on Saturday is always announced in advance on the Alert Now automated phone messaging system, the snow line (828-264-0200), the school system website (www.watauga.k12.nc.us) by email—for parents who have entered their email address when activating their account on the Watauga County Schools website—and through local radio and television stations.
The 2008-09 school year ran from August 7 to June 8, and a total of 18 days were missed due to weather.
A State of Emergency
A state of emergency was declared for Watauga County from December 18 to 30.
“When we request [that] the chairman of the [Watauga County Board of] Commissioners declare a state of emergency, it gives [us] a toolbox approach,” said Steve Sudderth, fire marshal and emergency management coordinator for Watauga County.
The “tools” taken out are only those deemed appropriate for the situation, he added.
In this case, the declaration of a state of emergency allowed some of the contractors driving heavy equipment to work longer hours than they would normally be permitted to, in order to clear roads and work on power lines, Sudderth explained.
For future inclement weather events, Sudderth advised that people keep a minimum of three days’ worth of provisions in their homes—“preferably more,” he added.
He also asked people to “keep checking on your neighbors. It has been unbelievable [how] people [have been] looking after neighbors in this storm,” he said.
Sudderth thanked all the companies and organizations working to restore power and keep roads clear and people safe, but especially wanted to applaud individuals taking care of their neighbors.
Sudderth has heard many stories of people taking in relatives and neighbors who did not have power, and received numerous calls requesting that they check on certain people, he said.
Three hundred families signed up through Samaritan’s Purse to help clear debris in people’s yards, he added.
Emergency Shelters Operate for One Week Due to Ice Storm
From Christmas morning to New Year’s Day, three emergency shelters operated in the High Country, said Sonny Sweet, director of the Watauga County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Located at Deep Gap Fire Department, Valle Crucis Conference Center and Newland Fire Department, the shelters housed from four to 42 people each night, Sweet said.
The family of four that stayed at a shelter the final night it was needed got power back at their home on New Year’s Day, Sweet said.
Emergency management officials in the county can request that emergency shelters be opened, and Sweet is in charge of opening Red Cross shelters that serve Avery and Watauga counties, he said.
He reports which shelters are open to the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office for safety purposes, and a first responder is either stationed at or on call for each shelter, he said.
Most people utilizing the shelter were there because of power outages, and “most people did not spend the night,” Sweet said, explaining that people regularly came in to get water, take a shower and have a hot meal.
“We served about 400 meals over the course of a week,” Sweet said, adding that the number does not include “people coming in for a cup of coffee or a bowl of soup—just breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
In addition to meals, beds and shower facilities, the emergency shelters provided “comfort kits” to clients staying overnight, which contained “all the things you forgot at home,” Sweet said.
Along with toothpaste, a toothbrush, a washcloth and other necessities, children’s comfort kids also included games, he said.
The last time emergency shelters served this many people was in September 2005, when Tropical Storm Ivan caused flooding in the High Country, Sweet said.
A shelter opened at Foscoe Christian Church because “we had to evacuate most kids from a trailer park on the Watauga River in Foscoe,” he said.
Prior to that, local emergency shelters had not served so many people since a winter storm hit in January 1998, he added.
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