It's hard for those of us on the Gulf Coast to imagine an ice storm like the one Oklahoma is experiencing when it's still reaching 80 degrees outside down here. I'm remembering some photos posted to the BPO forum last year of a vacant house that wasn't winterized. An ice storm caused considerable damage...probably ended up destroying the house. So I'm wondering how much damage homes will suffer from this Oklahoma storm. Older homes, vacant homes, and homes not properly winterized will probably have the most problems.

Centerpoint Energy here in Houston just sent up a convoy of trucks to help get the electrical service restored. It's probably going to be a big mess with all the broken lines, but these people are trained in how to get everything up and working very quickly. It will be a big relief when residents can look out their window and see these trucks rolling into their neighborhoods. Most of them have done this before. One of the employees on TV tonight said he barely had time to throw some clothes in a bag and kiss his dog goodby. They don't mind leaving their own families right here at Christmas to go for a week or two and help get lights and heat to everyone up there as quickly as possible.

If any of our Oklahoma agents have time and don't have much damage to their own home or their listings, hopefully they can let us know how this storm is impacting property values. Guess they can't do that without any electricity, so let's just hope and pray things start getting better quickly. From what I've seen on television, this is going to impact a lot of holiday plans with only two weeks till Christmas.

Latest I heard today was the new threat to folks hit by the storm was fires caused by attempts to stay warm. And another storm is coming, but this one is a snow storm...now quite as bad to the electrical lines, but I'm sure people are beginning to show the strain of being cold and being without basic services. The lights are slowly coming back on as the repair crews continue to work on them. Haven't heard anything yet about damage to homes...but it will be a mess in those areas not set up to handle this type of storm. It's more important at this point in time to make sure the people are going to be able to survive, then worry about the homes. But a lot of real estate is not going to look anywhere close to the way it did a couple of weeks ago. After the damage to landscaping, trees, and whatever else was damaged, curb appeal will be a thing of the past for a long time. And from a kid's point of view, it's sad all the outdoor decorations were ruined...lawn decorations and whatever else was outside. I hope all this clears up before UPS and FedEx start doing their deliveries so these people can have some sense of a normal holiday before the real damage sinks in.