As far as the Iowa winters is concerned, all I can say about it is that the storm was down-right scary as hell. And I say that having watched Tornados several times. I would much rather sit on a hilltop and watch a tornado that is close-by than have every thing in my yard shatter with the sound of a shotgun (although an actual direct hit from a tornado would probably sound even worse).

This storm was the first time I was actually SCARED of a storm, and we get severe storms here often.

As far as strictly winter storms are concerned, my boss spend a good deal of his life in the Northern States (Minnesotta, North Dakota, Montana) and in the higher altitudes of the Colorado Rockies (Steamboat Springs) and this storm scared HIM. This is the same guy that used to brag to us about surveying land wearing snow-shoes.
However, I don't really think it is appropriate to argue about it, so I'll just, once again, say that I hope everyone is alright.

Hi everyone. I'm still kicking! Today is two weeks without power. There were over 3000 power poles broken by this ice storm (just our power companies)and crews have come from all over to help them out. Some have been told it may be March before they get power restored. The past two days it has been in the 70's and tomorrow they are calling for thunderstorms, some of which could be severe. That is the last thing we need right now with all the weakened trees and power lines...

In response to Jn post; Dublin

Tell it to the people in Kiribati...

RSOE EDIS posted this week.

Kiribati, a Pacific island-nation in danger of being submerged because of global warming, may purchase land elsewhere to relocate its people, President Anote Tong said. “We would consider buying land,” Tong said in an interview in New Delhi. “The alternative is that we die, we go extinct.” Kiribati, between Hawaii and Australia, is the second island-nation after the Maldives that’s floated the idea of buying land should their islands be swamped by rising seas and more powerful storms.

Warmer temperatures are melting icecaps, expanding the volume of oceans and causing more intense storm systems. Higher tides in Kiribati’s 33-island archipelago are making potable water for its 100,000 residents too salty to drink. Tong appealed Feb. 5 to leaders who will meet in Copenhagen in December to turn their attention to islanders hurt by global warming. “I can fully understand why responsible leaders of countries like Kiribati and the Maldives want to take action now and I think we’ll see more of this,” said Kim Carstensen, climate-change program director for the environmental group WWF International.

Increasingly, “we’re facing a situation where hundreds of millions of people will be at risk from the consequences of climate change in the form of rising sea levels for small island-states and low-lying countries like Bangladesh,” Carstensen said Feb. 6 in a telephone interview from Copenhagen. “We are the face of the victims,” Tong said. “There has to be an international commitment that those countries that are willing to provide land will be compensated and a fund will be provided. But we will be willing to spend our own money if nothing else was coming forth.” )


[edit on 9-2-2009 by Absum!]

My power came back on this evening!!!! Woohoo!!! I learned to never ever take it for granted again! I am one happy woman right now!!