Piggott hit with massive ice storm

This scene from early last Wednesday showed West Court Street in Piggott coated in about two inches of ice, which reflected brightly in the morning sun. (Times photo/Tim Blair) [Click to enlarge]

Now, over a week later, thousands remain without power and for some it may be over a month before service is restored. For the customers of the city of Piggott, crews are continuing to repair the distribution system and will be depending on the local power plant for electricity until the SPA can resume wheeling power. Early estimates were that the interruption could last another two to three weeks.

The freezing rain first moved into the area early Tuesday, and by mid-day power lines and limbs were already falling victim to the weight of ice. As the afternoon and evening progressed the sleet turned to a slow steady rain, which turned out to be the worst case scenario. With temperatures hovering just under the freezing mark the rain coated everything in a nearly two-inch coat.

Throughout that night both transmission lines, which bring the power into the area, and the local distribution system were utterly destroyed. Power poles snapped like twigs, and often caused a chain reaction that pulled down others along the same line. The ice also caused damage to homes and businesses, along with virtually every tree in the area.

Throughout the day last Wednesday authorities began to evaluate the damage, and send out a call for help. Shelters were also opened across the county, as residents found themselves without power and in some cases water. In response to the emergency all of the region was declared a federal disaster area by President Barack Obama.

Luckily, the city of Piggott has two generators that insured that the water supply was never interrupted or compromised. One of the generators, which were purchased a little over a year ago, was put into service as soon as power was lost to the pumps and kept the water tower full. The second generator was moved to the lift station at the sewer treatment lagoon, and kept the city's sewage system from backing up.

Other area cities that did not have pumps readily available were forced to wait for units from the state, and this resulted in numerous boil orders and interruptions in the flow of fresh water.

Due to a lack of power at the community center the first Piggott shelter was set-up at the high school, but after power failed at that location it was moved to the courthouse. The shelter remained at that location until Monday morning when power was restored at the community center.

Responding to the emergency, Gov. Mike Beebe flew into the Piggott airport on Friday, and gave local leaders assurance that their needs would be met. Beebe was accompanied by local State Rep. Mike Patterson, Atty. Gen. Dustin McDaniel and a variety of state officials. They were joined at the airport by First District Congressman Marion Berry, who had driven in from Memphis earlier in the day. "To say this is a disaster is just a gross understatement," Berry noted of his observations. "It was obvious that the farther north we went the worse conditions were," Berry commented of the trip.

Beebe and his entourage arrived by way of two Army Blackhawk helicopters and met with leaders from across the region. "We're here to insure that you have what you need, you just need to tell us what that is," he told those on hand which included the mayors of Piggott, Rector, Corning, Marmaduke and Datto along with other regional and local leaders.

Late in the week the recovery effort was in full swing, with manpower and equipment moving into the region from far and wide. Members of the Arkansas Army National Guard also joined the effort on Saturday, and there was also help from a crew from the Mississippi County Work Release Center.

That group, under the direction of county judge Gary Howell, cleaned up around both Piggott school campuses, the courthouse, the hospital and then moved on to Rector. This week the workers were helping in Corning, and afterward Howell indicated that they would continue to help in the smaller towns and on other public lands within the county.

Late in the week the Piggott power plant was up and running, though the distribution system was still in ruins. Much of the east side had power by the end of the weekend, and at last report about 35 percent of the city's homes and businesses were utilizing the power plant.

Out in the county things were much worse, with thousands of power poles down and all of Clay County Electric Co-Op's customers without electricity. Early estimates were that as many as 15,000 poles were down in the co-op's four-county service area.

Monday afternoon FEMA met with county officials in Piggott, as preliminary damage assessments were being completed. Howell estimated that damage to the county's roads and bridges will reach around $6 million, while the city's power distribution system has suffered around $4 million in damage, according to Piggott mayor Gerald Morris.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management also encouraged victims to document any repairs to their homes as the recovery continues.

Individuals who have suffered losses are encouraged to contact their insurance companies as soon as possible. They should also document damage by taking photos or videos, and keeping lists of items damaged or destroyed then commence clean-up. Residents are also encouraged to dispose of damaged property that presents a health hazard, or may hamper clean-up operations.

To facilitate insurance claims they encouraged everyone to pull document discharged items for insurance adjusters, and compile a room-by-room inventory when possible.

Richard Griffin, with the FEMA public affairs office, explained the process -- "we're still in the preliminary assessment stage and we'll present that information to the governor. It will then be up to him to decide what services to request, but primarily we'll be helping with debris removal and local emergency services."

In response to one of the many rumors of the past week Gifford noted, "FEMA does not reimburse individuals for generators. We'll primarily be working with the cities and the counties to provide debris removal and emergency services...any individual benefits would not be available until much later if at all."

Gifford encouraged all area residents to work with their local and county officials for needs. He also encouraged everyone to be patient, as the process may take some time to complete.