Dealing with the Blizzard of 2011 that covered Tulsa and Oklahoma in snow

TULSA - The blizzard of 2011 not only dumped record amounts of snow in Green Country, it also cost lives.

Early Thursday morning a truck was carrying eight people on the Will Rogers Turnpike. Police say their pickup truck slid off an elevated portion of the road near Miami and fell 61 feet into the icy waters. Three people were killed.

Schools, businesses, government agencies, and even Interstate highways were closed. Icy streets had many shut in for days, and the only way to experience the outside world was by foot.

The snowfall totals were ridiculous. Here were some of the reports sent to us by the Tulsa National Weather Service.

• 21.00 INCHES OF SNOW 6 MILES EAST OF OWASSO IN ROGERS COUNTY
• 20.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT CLAREMORE IN ROGERS COUNTY
• 20.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT SPERRY IN TULSA COUNTY
• 20.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT MIAMI IN OTTAWA COUNTY
• 20.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT HOMINY IN OSAGE COUNTY
• 19.00 INCHES OF SNOW 1 MILES WEST OF OWASSO IN TULSA COUNTY
• 18.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT AFTON IN OTTAWA COUNTY
• 18.00 INCHES OF SNOW 3 MILES EAST OF OWASSO IN ROGERS COUNTY
• 17.00 INCHES OF SNOW 2 MILES SOUTH OF PAWHUSKA IN OSAGE COUNTY
• 16.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT SKIATOOK IN TULSA COUNTY
• 16.00 INCHES OF SNOW 6 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF OWASSO IN ROGERS COUNTY
• 15.00 INCHES OF SNOW 5 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF OWASSO IN ROGERS COUNTY
• 15.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT BROKEN ARROW IN TULSA COUNTY
• 15.00 INCHES OF SNOW 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TULSA IN TULSA COUNTY
• 14.50 INCHES OF SNOW 1 MILES EAST OF OWASSO IN TULSA COUNTY
• 14.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT TULSA IN TULSA COUNTY
• 13.00 INCHES OF SNOW 3 MILES SOUTH OF JENKS IN TULSA COUNTY
• 12.00 INCHES OF SNOW 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TULSA IN TULSA COUNTY
• 12.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT COMMERCE IN OTTAWA COUNTY
• 11.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT GLENPOOL IN TULSA COUNTY
• 11.00 INCHES OF SNOW 4 MILES EAST OF KANSAS IN DELAWARE COUNTY
• 7.50 INCHES OF SNOW AT OAKS IN CHEROKEE COUNTY
• 6.00 INCHES OF SNOW 1 MILES EAST OF TAHLEQUAH IN CHEROKEE COUNTY
• 5.00 INCHES OF SNOW 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MCALESTER IN PITTSBURG COUNTY
• 4.00 INCHES OF SNOW AT WESTVILLE IN ADAIR COUNTY
• 4.00 INCHES OF SNOW 1 MILES NORTHWEST OF BUNCH IN ADAIR COUNTY

Tulsa's 14" snowfall broke the record for the most snow for the date, the most snow ever for February, and the most from a single storm.

On February 3rd Tulsa woke up to minus 6 degrees, which broke the record low for the date. The old record was -5, set in 1996.

Just like you and your family, we had to improvise. Our station planned ahead and made what could have been a terrible situation much better. Department Heads slept in their offices so they could be at work to keep operations in order.

I witnessed our General Manager at the front receptionist's desk answering calls from the public. Later she and several of us shoveled snow in the parking lot to dig employees out so they could get home after very long shifts.

We all yelled "freedom" when a car was able to back out and leave. If you couldn't leave, you were just as happy that someone else made it to the outside world!

They went to Old School Bagel and bought nearly everything they had to keep us fed. I saw our News Director shooting video out in front of the station for live shots.

Jason Shackelford brought up his "mobile mansion," which is an amazing travel trailer that sleeps eight. I spent two nights in there because I was afraid if I left work, I couldn't get back.

Before the storm they made a list of employees who had 4-wheel drive vehicles and coordinated pick ups and drop offs for some employees.

George slept on our well-worn couch in the weather office. I saw Julie curled up in a ball sleeping on a love seat in the Green Room.

There was much more of this that I did not see, because I was in the weather office.

Seems that when weather is at its worse, we are at our best. I'm not just talking about our station, but all the folks in Green Country.

We saw neighbors digging out neighbors, people with 4-wheel drive trucks pulling people out of the snow, church groups stepping up to serve, shelters opening up and being manned by others who left a nice warm and safe home to help others.

Regardless of tornadoes, blizzards, ice storms, droughts, and floods, when we all work together, we can get through almost anything.