TAHLEQUAH, Okla.—Many Oklahomans spent the holidays cleaning up from an ice storm earlier in December that contributed to 29 deaths and cut power to more than a million people in 600,000 homes and businesses. Twenty-five counties, including several tribal areas, were declared federal disaster areas.
Eight of the 14 counties within the Cherokee Nation [1]'s jurisdiction were hit hard by the Dec. 9-10 storm, but tribal officials said they were prepared this time, compared to a brutal ice storm last January.
"We handled this one a little differently than we did the last one," said Todd Enlow, the Cherokee Nation's director of information systems. "With every event like that you learn a little. We had preparations (in place) and had a lot more cooperation with the state and local entities as far as setting up shelters."
The storm moved through in the early morning hours of Dec. 9, and by midday the Cherokee Nation was in relief mode and coordinating relief efforts to reach tribal members and non-Cherokees alike who had lost power and needed supplies such as drinking water and blankets.
"There's not as much damage as was last time," Enlow said. "Still yet, there's more people who've been affected with power outages with this one than there was with the last (storm)."
The Cherokee Nation helped people who aren't Cherokee citizens because "we're all neighbors in the same area," Enlow said. "We're all part of the same community. It lets the public know that we're a partner in the community, not just (tribal) citizens."
The tribe had help from its Tribal Council and tribal employees in the storm areas.
"We tried to use our employees and our council members in those communities to be the eyes and ears on the ground," Enlow said. "So if they hear of something that's needed or somebody needs to be checked on, the employees or council members have done that or told us the areas to be checked on."
The Cherokee Nation Emergency Management group delivered several thousand gallons of water, as well as cots, pillows, food, paper goods batteries and lamp oil.
Of the eight counties in the Cherokee Nation jurisdiction that were iced over, about 60,000 people in Rogers County in northeast Oklahoma were without power and sought shelter with friends and family and at designated emergency sites.
Rogers County is Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor Cara Cowan-Watts' district, so she was out assessing the damage and checking on her constituents despite her own home being without power and covered in ice.
"I appreciate the support Cherokee Nation provided during this difficult time," Cowan-Watts said the week before Christmas. "Many are still without power even though the ice has thawed. The tribe continues to bring drinking water and assist with generators for rural water districts and dispatching centers."
After the storm, downed trees, electricity poles and lines blocked roads across Rogers County, said Bob Anderson, the county emergency management director.
"We've run into some resource problems, but Todd (Enlow) and Cara (Cowan-Watts) have done an excellent job of supporting us with cots, water, bedding, stuff that we're really needing. They even brought the blankets," Anderson said. "We've been running since Sunday (Dec. 9.) They brought in an instant command post, making sure my emergency responders here were fed. We get forgotten in a disaster."