The Claunch Family: Ice Storm 2009

January 2009 saw the largest ice storm in the history of the state of Kentucky. On that note, it was the largest natural disaster in state history as well. The weight of the ice on the trees was more than most of them could endure. The collapsing branches and trees resulted in massive power outages throughout the state. In the immediate wake of the storm, more than 700,000 homes were without power in Kentucky alone.

It all started on Tuesday morning, January 27th. I woke up and started making my coffee. As I looked out the window, I thought I could see the glimmer of ice in the grass and trees as the street light as the street light shined in our yard. As the sun gradually came up, I was amazed at the sight. The tree limbs were entirely imprisoned in ice. The sunrise was quite beautiful. If ice could be on fire, it would look something like the sight I saw that morning. The freezing rain was still falling, and I noticed that many of the trees in our yard were starting to droop. I wondered then if we might start having a problem with breaking trees. And by 9:00am, power was out at the Claunch's. As the day wore on, the freezing rain continued. By midday, the sound of breaking trees became commonplace. It sounded like cannons firing about every 15 seconds. About midday, the power came back on at my house. Our friends, Kris and Andrea (and their newborn baby, Isaac) came over to stay with us because their power was out, and they had no source of heat other than electric. Thankfully, our house has gas logs which go a long way to heat the house. We got a weather report early Tuesday evening, only to learn that another heavy band of freezing rain was going to be on us all through the night and into Wednesday morning. Sometime during the night on Tuesday, the power went out again, and it stayed off this time for over six days. By Wednesday morning, the freezing rain had turned to snow, and we got about 3 1/2 inches of snow in two hours. With this, the perfect winter wonderland was complete.

Ashley, Josiah, and Micah went south to stay with Nonni and Papa during the power outage (Andrea and baby Isaac left too). But Kris and I remained to work and help out. In the end, I was very thankful for the heat in our home and for the safety of my family, Kris's family, and the congregation at Bethlehem.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. As you look at them, stand in awe of the ONE whose womb brings forth the ice, who hardens the water like stone, who imprisons the deep (Job 38:29-30)!

**Click on any picture to see it in full size**

Round 1: The Ice...