The Great Kentucky Ice Storm of 2009

The Great Kentucky Ice Storm of 2009

In Kentucky, January of 2009, the biggest ice storm of the decade hit. For context, winters in

Kentucky are milder than those in Minnesota...usually. With highs in the forties and lows in

the twenties, precipitation in the winter often freezes, creating deadly driving conditions and

damage to trees. Every once in a while, however, Kentuckians experience an ice storm. The

ice storm of 2009 was the most extreme in my memory, causing damage to my family’s

garage, crushing our truck with a tree, and leaving my family without power for over a week

in the middle of winter.

An ice storm is an event characterized by heavy rain and ice accumulation. Ice accumulation

over half an inch is considered crippling and the accumulation during the 2009 storm was

over two inches in some areas1. The heavy ice accumulated around trees, power lines, and

power poles, causing electricity to go out for over a million residents in Kentucky and

Arkansas; many lost power for more than ten days. Downed trees and power lines also fell

on roads and cars making emergency rescue or utility operations dangerous and difficult1.

The ice storm was deadly in expected and unexpected ways. Many people died in car

accidents caused by sliding on the ice or hitting downed poles and trees. Roofs collapsed

under the pressure of the ice and some people died of cold. Grocery stores sold out of

necessities like water and bread and lines for gas were very long.

Though it seems strange, many people die of carbon monoxide poisoning in the Kentucky

winter and this was exacerbated by the conditions of the ice storm. When the power goes out

or the house gets too cold, people power their houses with generators or live and sleep in

their cars or use kerosene heaters. Most poisonings from carbon monoxide as a result of this

storm were caused by kerosene heaters but researchers found that the most deaths were

caused by generators2. Even when generators were placed outside, if they were within seven

feet of a home, carbon monoxide poisoning could occur2. If the cars or generators are

parked in the garage or near the indoors while they are running, carbon monoxide

accumulates and kills the people sleeping or living inside. Lutterloh et al. also believe that a

lack of education regarding the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning during disaster events

contributes to the causes high-risk behaviors2. Every year, Kentucky runs many awareness

campaigns for the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning in the winter but when your house

is below freezing and you don’t have any electricity, people become desperate.

Overall, the 2009 Ice Storm claimed over forty lives in multiple states, caused power outages

for millions, and caused schools to shut down for over a week. The Kentucky governor

declared the ice storm to be the biggest natural disaster in the state in modern history. The

National Guard was called in to help with cleanup which lasted well into the summer months.

Damage from that ice storm is still visible today in the form of broken trees and cars with

crushed roofs1.

Sources:

1. “The Nation’s Worst Ice Storms” The Weather Channel. Jan 11, 2017. https://www.weather.gov/lmk/jan_2009_ice_and_snow  

2.  Lutterloh, E., Iqbal, S., Clower, J., Spiller, H., Riggs, M., Sugg, T., Humbach, K., Cadwell, B.,

 Thoroughman, D. (may 2011). Carbon Monoxide Poisoning After an Ice Storm in Kentucky, 2009.

Public Health Reports, 126, 108-115. Retrieved October 8, 2018, from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51118574_Carbon_Monoxide_Poisoning_After_an_Ice_Sto

rm_in_Kentucky_2009.