Re: [gardeners] The Freezing Rain Warning Has Ended
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sat, 10 Jan 1998 09:55:52
At 08:56 PM 1/9/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Thank god.
>
>The freezing rain warning for most of eastern Ontario has ended, the first
>time it's been off here since Tuesday afternoon. We have a weekend of
>flurries and then more freezing rain is anticipated for Monday.
>
>Eastern Ontario and Quebec has been devestated by ice rain for the last 4
>or 5 days. In my area we escaped the earlier storms, but were visited by
>this last round that started on Wednesday night. I was very lucky to be at
>the western-most end of the warned area and have come through virtually
>unscathed. I took a little drive this afternoon, and, starting just 5 miles
>to the east of me, it looks like there's been a war. The further east I
>drove the worse it got. Large trees are completely denuded of branches, on
>some the branches have broken and torn away, ripping large strips of bark
>along the length of the trunk. Smaller trees are uprooted and down over
>power lines, fences and barns. Even the smallest twig is carrying an inch
>or more of ice on it. The power is out for most people, out in the country
>they've been told to expect no power until at least the middle of next
>week, maybe longer.
>
>I've been keeping in touch by phone with friends in the city of Kingston.
>They have been told not to expect their power back until possibly Sunday.
>I've heard estimates that over 40 percent of the trees in the worst hit
>areas will be lost. Kingston, Ottawa and Montreal are heavily treed cities,
>much of their charm comes from these old and stately maples and oaks. It's
>unbearably tragic.
>
>Marianne
>Southeastern Ontario AgCan zone 5b
>
January 13, 1997 we had a more than 24-hour ice storm here in SW Louisiana.
This is an area that is better equipped to live through a hurricane rather
than ice. The local governments removed and chipped more than 3 million
cubic feet of tree limbs, trunks, etc. I lost the tops out of two 50-year
old oaks in the back yard that, as soon as I can afford it, will have to be
removed due to the remaining limbs hanging over the house. Many of the
trees lost in the area were huge live oaks. I'm talking 8-10 foot diameter
trunks at ground level. Due to still having their leaves they trapped more
ice. The trees that had shed their leaves survived the best. We had to
replace the roof, tear down an outbuilding that was badly damaged, and
replace about 20 feet of hurricane fencing and 40 feet of rain gutters. I
believe ice storms must be THE most destructive storms out there for inland
dwellers.
George