Weather

(Is it still good ol' boy politics in Oklahoma these days? Read DocHoc's commentary this week in the Oklahoma Gazette. The image to the right was found at WORLD GONE MAD.)

The federal government’s decision to deny financial assistance to those Oklahomans who suffered property and personal damages during December’s ice storm sends two powerful messages.

The first message is that our Republican-dominated Congressional delegation, especially senior U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, simply will not fight hard enough for those people who elected them to office. Why is it that Inhofe, a longtime Bush administration supporter, would not and could not sway the Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA) to help Oklahomans?

The second message is that it appears under FEMA criteria lost wages, business losses and extra personal expenses do not count as damages in Oklahoma. FEMA officials told reporters there were simply not enough damaged homes for the state to qualify. This is an important quality of life issue for people who live here. It means Oklahomans, who often face unpredictable and dangerous weather, need to either move to places with more stable weather patterns or budget diligently for ice storms and tornadoes.

On Thursday, Gov. Brad Henry announced FEMA had once again rejected the state’s bid to receive federal assistance. The agency had previously rejected the initial assistance claim. Henry then appealed the decision, but FEMA would not budge. The storm knocked out power to 640,000 homes and businesses and was blamed for 29 deaths. The state also suffered immense damage to its tree population.

Earlier, Inhofe told the media there was not enough damage to qualify for help and said, “You don’t want to get something you’re not entitled to.”

Why did Inhofe, a Republican, turn his back on his fellow Oklahomans? Surely, Inhofe, in particular, might have successfully lobbied the Bush administration for help. He has tirelessly supported Imperial Bush and the botched Iraq occupation throughout the last several years. Surely, Inhofe is no stranger to the concept of political favors.

No one here is asking for a handout. But what about the small business owners who could not operate for several days because the power was off? What about the workers at those businesses who missed out on wages? What about those people who had to pay for motel rooms for several days?

What about all the tree damage? How much did it cost individuals to remove damaged trees? What about replanting? How much will that cost?

Corporate media outlets here have pretty much ignored the issue, though they did cover Inhofe’s statements about his entitlement worries. They filmed and photographed the ice storm misery for profits, but they, too, refuse to stand up for Oklahomans. They will bury this story, give politicians like Inhofe cover and wait like vultures for the next disaster.

Meanwhile, Oklahomans need to get ready for steep electricity rate increases because of the storm.

It has been a tough week here for sure.

Tragically, 23 deaths have been blamed on the ice storm that stunned Oklahoma this past week. At one point, more than 600,000 homes and businesses were without power, and thousands still remain in the dark.

Some Oklahomans shivered through the storm with blankets and candles while others headed to shelters. The damage to the local tree population here is incalculable. Once the thaw is complete, we will know more, but it appears the state has lost thousands of trees. Meanwhile, the state’s college students trudged through finals week under some of the worst weather conditions possible.

Overall, it appears the state’s emergency systems once again worked well during the storm, and no one can fault the utility companies in their immediate efforts to restore power. Crews came in from other states. These crews worked long hours in biting cold weather to get the job done.

But the ice storm raises at least three major issues for Oklahoma’s leaders, and the severity of this storm demands new initiatives and open-minded, intelligent thinking. Will there be discussion and action or will this recent storm quickly recede into Oklahoma weather lore?

Here are those issues:

(1) State leaders and utility companies need to come up with a comprehensive plan to bury as many electrical lines as possible in the state. They also need to develop a massive state tree trimming project to protect electrical lines during ice storms. Unfortunately, as it stands now, the costs of this storm will probably be passed onto Oklahoma consumers through higher utility rates, but there should be no rate increase without serious discussion of burying lines and trimming trees. Apologists for the utility companies, which have highly-paid lobbyists and the corporate media on their side, will argue that only so many electrical lines can be buried and that it is not the panacea some might think. They will also argue that trimming trees near electrical lines poses many problems related to aesthetics and property values for homeowners. But there is much that can and should be done.

(2) The state probably needs to launch new efforts or bolster its current programs to educate people here about the dire effects of ice storms and how people should prepare. Most ice storms are predictable, and people have time to get supplies to endure power outages. What exactly should people have on hand for ice storms? Obviously, there are existing lists of emergency items—flashlights, batteries, radios, etc.—but how do we get more people thinking about the possibility of living without power for a week or even more during winter months. What about people who have just recently moved here and simply have no idea about the severity of Oklahoma’s ice storms? How do we reach them? The point is to get people prepared.

(3) It is time to take a serious look at how global warming and climate change are influencing our weather patterns in Oklahoma and the nation. Scientists say climate change will likely increase stormy and severe weather. Erratic weather patterns will continue, they say. Certainly, no one can make the claim with complete certainty this recent ice storm was influenced by climate change, yet Oklahoma and other parts of the country have witnessed extreme, record-breaking weather in recent years, from droughts in the south to Hurricane Katrina. We need to look at the larger picture. Is there anything we can do at this point to reduce the effects of global warming? What does it mean for Oklahoma if these severe weather events become even more common in the future—it could happen, folks—because of climate change? How many ice storms a year can Oklahoma go through without a major impact on the economy? (Here is how we might begin the discussion.) Unfortunately, Oklahoma’s senior U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe rejects modern science and does not believe in the existence of global warming. So the outlook for any meaningful discussion here about climate change and its influence on Oklahoma weather will have to come once Inhofe is out of office. But the questions persist.

I wrote recently about a report showing how Oklahomans have one of the highest rates of depression in the nation. I listed the state’s extreme weather as one reason, among many reasons, for the overall depression rate. It can be quite depressing to lose a beloved tree in your yard, though obviously there are worse problems one might face in a horrific ice storm. I do not mean to trivialize those problems. People died here last week because of the storm. What we know for sure is there will be a huge emotional aftermath to this storm. It should not be minimized or suppressed or dismissed.