El Reno Residents Speak Out About Ice Storm Damage

Mother Nature took her toll using freezing temperatures and thick wet ice to bend El Reno to her will on Saturday. Coats of ice nearing two inches think blanketed the limbs and power lines causing them to bow and buckle under the weight.

Just passed the city limits, downed power lines made for dangerous driving along state highway 61. The storm left more than 5000 without power and many more with damages.

“A lot of trees in the street. My street's really bad. Trees that had the power lines down and everything. It's bad out there,” Katrina Delgado said. She worked at the gas station across from where the power lines had come down. The convenience store was still open, but they could not pump gas or take credit cards after the downed lines knocked out power.

Across town more damage to trees that snapped under the weight of the ice. Many fell on top of cars and trucks causing major damage. Others crashed onto homes throughout the night. One homeowner said the tree in her front yard was more than 25 years old. It came down in pieces throughout Friday night into Saturday morning.

One family said they were forced out of their home after the power shut off Friday night. They went to a hotel in town until the power went out at that building too. Then around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the entire town of El Reno lost power, plunging homes and businesses back into the dark.