The Story of an Ice Storm
Storm chaser, photographer and emergency manager Beau Dodson of Paducah, Kentucky kept an incredible journal of the horrible ice storm that produced catastrophic damage January 27-28 in the Bluegrass State.
It is the worst natural disaster in the history of the state of Kentucky.
700,000 people were without power after the storm. At least 24 Kentuckians died.
If anyone wishes for an ice storm ever again, I hope they read this.
February 11th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Truly an amazing read, and a big reminder of how bad things can get in winter storms/ice storms.
February 11th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Having been born in Louisville Ky spending part of my early years there and finishing growing up in Evansville, In., just up the Ohio River from Paducah. People are still hurting. Since the beginning of the storm my Mother has been trying to reach her cousin in Louisville. to no avail. She reached her just Tues. night of this week, she has been staying with other relatives in Louisville since the storm. Only got her lights back on Tues 2-9. Talk to a buddy of mine in Evansville last weekend said 37,000 people were still out of power in Tri-State area (In,Il&Ky). Silver lining for my buddy, he’s in the gutter business and the phones are ringing off the hook. Oh he did lose power for two days.
February 12th, 2009 at 12:31 am
Hello Bill,
Wow! I finished reading the journal as well as viewing the pictures and I am nearly speechless. The pictures are amazing and will show you just how devastating the storm was.
This is a must read! Beau, you did an incredible job of documenting the storm. I wish you and your family a speedy recovery along with everyone else affected by the ice storm.
Bill, thanks for posting the link, and I agree with you everyone should read the journal.
February 12th, 2009 at 5:53 am
I remember an ice/snow storm that hit SE Tennessee in early 1973. I was 14 years old, and for a kid it was fun to miss school and play football in the mess. With age comes an appreciation for the suffering sometimes caused by weather. My heart goes out to those who were affedted by this storm.
I do hope to see a few snowstorms. There’s a whole generation of kids growing up in the South who have never experienced snow and it’s about time they have that gap in their education filled.
February 12th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Hi, Bill:
With all due respect, what Beau actually stated in his journal was that the ice storm was ONE of the worst natural disasters to hit WESTERN Kentucky — he didn’t say it was the worst ever in Kentucky as a whole.
@Charles in Chattanooga:
I remember that same ice storm, Charles! Me and my family were living in Norcross, GA at the time (just outside of Atlanta). I was only about 5 yrs. old going on 6, but I remember it well. I believe it hit sometime in early or mid-January of that year. The sound of tree branches snapping and popping woke me up that morning, and I remember thinking that somebody was shooting at us, LOL!
Fortunately, we did not lose any power in our neighborhood.
February 12th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Thanks Bill for the post. The journal makes very good reading and should teach all of us a lesson. Like the Boy Scouts “Be Prepared”. I am glad that our ice storms here aren’t usually anywhere near this level of damage but we never know. Beau had done a wonderful job of educating those that take the time to read his journal.
Keep up the good work and thanks again.
Bill
February 12th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Thanks for the link. I have a friend about 30 miles from Paducah and this is hand in hand with everthing he’s been telling me. They just yesterday got their power back on though.
Another friend in Louisville has similar circumstances, though not as long-lasting. He got power back within a week due to being “in the city” he said. His power is out again now though due to the storms yesterday evening.
June 21st, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Just reading this thread. Yes, it was an incredible storm. The NWS is still adding up the damage totals. They believe it ranks in the top of all disasters to ever strike the State of Kentucky. Where that dollar amount ends up is still in debate and discussion.
As far as human suffering it was quite intense (for modern day equivalency).
It was an expensive disaster with insurance companies not covering much of the damage. The costs of removing tree branches and whole trees is incredibly high.
Every single resident, that had trees in their yards, had damage. Basically every tree was damaged.
Clean up continues (it is now June). I am not sure how long it will take to repair all of the damage. Some utility companies are still re-wiring some of their infrastructure.
An incredible storm. I have new respect for anyone having to go through an ice storm (or other disaster).
Beau