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Date: 02/27/06
Contacts: Lori Wirth - City of Madison Fire Department, (608) 266-5947
Dr. Marvin Birnbaum – UW Hospitals EMS, (608) 263-9641
PREP: Ice Storm Anniversary
In mid-February, we got a blustery reminder of winter with an extended
period of snow and cold. But that pales in comparison to what happened
here 30 years ago this week. It was one of the worst natural disasters
to hit Wisconsin in history.
On March 4, 1976, an ice storm completely snapped hundreds of utility
poles, downed thousands of power and telephone lines and totally destroyed
many trees. Some wires and tree limbs were coated with up to five inches
of ice accumulation, caused in part by thunderstorms that rapidly built
up the ice. High winds gusting to 60 mph made a bad situation worse. Up
to 600,000 residences were directly affected by the ice storm and up to
100,000 people were without power during the height of the storm. Some
rural areas were without power for over 10 days.
The following counties were declared federal disaster areas due to the
ice storm: Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant,
Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Lafayette, Manitowoc, Ozaukee, Richland, Rock,
Sauk, Sheboygan, Vernon, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha.
PREP – People Responding to Emergencies Program – reminds
residents that while such events are unlikely, they DO happen. When they
do, the many conveniences we take for granted can disappear, leaving us
and our families to rely on whatever emergency planning we’ve undertaken.
Fire Marshal Ed Ruckriegel is the city’s Emergency Management Coordinator.
Ruckriegel says while it’s impossible to prevent natural disasters,
planning and preparation can save lives and speed recovery.
The objective of PREP is behavioral change – individuals taking
responsibility to prepare themselves, their families and their property
for safety in a disaster or emergency.
For more information, visit the PREP website at prep.medicine.wisc.edu.
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