Small-town road in Oklahoma after 2020 ice storm (Photo: Screen capture)
Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas have been dealing with a brutal attack from three different ice and sleet systems for two days. It has left communities looking like war zones with trees and debris littering the streets and as of Wednesday's third wave, over 368,000 people are without power in Oklahoma.
Power lines were filmed popping, starting fires with blue flashes of electricity.
Oklahoma took the brunt of the hit from the storm, plunging the state from a colorful Autumn into trees, flowers and multi-colored leaves completely encased in ice.
One of the most heartbreaking problems was the "Survivor Tree," a tree that remained standing despite the horrific bombing on the Alpha P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. The tree has lasted through the bombing as well as 25 years of storms, tornadoes, hurricane-force winds, snowstorms and ice. But 2020's ice storm took down a large branch on the north side of the tree, sending it tipping and possibly uprooting itself.
Teams are working hard to try and save it, but it's unclear if the tree will make it. The bombing memorial staff said that they will continue to monitor it 24/7 through the storms. Seedlings have been taken of the tree throughout the years so that even if the tree is destroyed, its descendants can take over in memory.
Meteorologists have said it's the earliest ice storm on record and it may become the costliest when everything is finally repaired and cleaned up.
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