State of Emergency ... -- Peter Laws / N5UWY National Weather Center / Network Operations Center University of Oklahoma / Information Technology [log in to unmask] ------------------------------------------------------------- How am I doing? Please contact my director, Craig Cochell, at [log in to unmask] with any feedback. Thank you! ------------------------------------------------------------- -----Original Message----- From: ARRL Web site [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Fri 2007-01-12 16:08 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Stand-by Alert Issued to All Oklahoma Hams The Governor of Oklahoma has declared all 77 counties in Oklahoma to be in a state of emergency. Due to this declaration and the possible threat of sleet and freezing rain, all ARES Leadership and other hams within the state of Oklahoma should be on stand-by alert and be ready to help out. Hams should monitor the local repeaters and the ARES Oklahoma HF Net for more information. If anyone is called out, please be careful and watch out for each other. Do not put yourself or the team into a dangerous position. Oklahoma HF for emergency communication events: 3900 7260 Kevin K. Atnip -- KD5WUP Emergency Coordinator Oklahoma Section Home: 405-527-1616 cell: 405-640-3126 Arlyn Seidel-KK5GY Traffic Manager-Oklahoma Section 580 362 1248 Kevin O'Dell-N0IRW Public Information Coordinator-Oklahoma Section 580 220 9062 John Thomason-WB5SYT Section Manager-Oklahoma Section 405 326 1800 Governor Henry Declares State of Emergency Gov. Brad Henry today declared a State of Emergency for all 77 Oklahoma counties due to the winter storm affecting many areas of the state. The declaration provides a formal mechanism for local governments to seek reimbursement for recovery costs through the state's disaster public assistance program should conditions warrant. "We're taking these actions so that the state will be in the best possible position to respond to the storm. I would urge all Oklahomans to exercise extreme caution if they have to venture outside," said Gov. Henry. The State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains activated due to winter weather conditions that continue to impact areas of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) is in contact with emergency managers in the affected areas. ### Next situation update: As necessary. The Governor's Executive Order declaring the State of Emergency and all Situation Updates are posted to the OEM web site, www.oem.ok.gov Situation Update Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 12, 2007 -- Situation Update 1 STATE EOC ACTIVATED The Oklahoma State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated due to winter weather conditions that continue to impact areas of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) is in contact with emergency managers in the affected areas. Next situation update: As necessary. ### Coverage from The Daily Oklahoman: Freezing rain hits early; Henry declares emergency From Staff Reports An arctic front carrying freezing rain, sleet and ice hit the metro area earlier than expected this morning, and travelers are having trouble in the worsening conditions. The storm led Gov. Brad Henry to call a State of Emergency for all counties at about 12:45 p.m. "We're taking these actions so that the state will be in the best possible position to respond to the storm. I would urge all Oklahomans to exercise extreme caution if they have to venture outside," Henry said in a statement released by the state's department of emergency management. More than 40 flights have been cancelled at Will Rogers World Airport and Tulsa International Airport because of the icy weather. The cold front, coming from Canada and the arctic north, slipped beneath a warm air system coming from the Gulf of Mexico to produce an unusual winter mix of precipitation. Sleet, or frozen rain, is being reported in the metro. Freezing rain, which is liquid until it hits the ground, forming a dangerous sheet of ice, is falling elsewhere in the state and in some parts of the metro. Most of Oklahoma sits under an ice storm warning from the National Weather Service. Temperatures in the metro plunged overnight. At 2 a.m., it was 58 degrees in Oklahoma City. Now, it is 26 degrees, according to the weather service in Norman. As the artic front moves eastward across the state, temperatures will continue to fall. Southeast Oklahoma, where temperatures are still hovering above freezing, is under a flash flood watch. That part of the state saw 60-degree temperatures this morning. The weather service expects temperatures in most of the state to remain below freezing at least through the weekend and possibly through Wednesday, meteorologist Jennifer Palucki said.Winds may gust to 30 miles per hour today. Brian Alford, spokesman for Oklahoma Gas & Electric, said no power lines have fallen in central Oklahoma. He said it takes about a half-inch of ice for power lines and trees to come under serious stress. High winds complicate matters, and a quarter-inch of ice can be problematic, he said. The rain is expected to be sporadic and light today. It will pause tonight and continue tomorrow. By the morning, the national weather service expects as much as a half-inch of ice. By the end of the weekend, the total could rise to an inch-and-a-half. Forecasters expected the artic front to hit later than it did. Reports yesterday indicated the precipitation would hit the metro at about 10 a.m. At about 10:45 a.m., the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management called in representatives from all state agencies to prepare for disaster. Michelann Ooten, the department's spokeswoman, said no cities have requested emergency help yet. She expects that to start happening later today. Local television news stations are running live coverage of the storm, and have been all morning. The ABC affiliate, KOCO Channel 5, has labeled the front, Ice Storm 2007. The news station splashed the name across the top of its Web site. KWTV News9, the CBS affiliate, is calling the event Winter Storm 2007. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Oklahoma Section Section Manager: Jerry J. Thomason, WB5SYT [log in to unmask] -------------------------------------------------------------------- This message is being sent to you via the ARRL Members Only Web site. 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