the ice

Julie Smith was surveying damage Wednesday morning when the tree behind her started to crack. "Something told me to run so I did," Julie Smith said. Seconds later half of the tree came crashing down where she had stood.

Last week, as you've probably heard by now, meant ice for a large part of the Midwest. Lawrence was spared. Just 20 miles north was not. It was a different world, one covered with nearly an inch of ice. Boots crunching through the layer on the ground, shattering individual pieces of grass like little glass figures.

The weight of it all crushed trees and power lines, leaving entire towns without power for days. I made the drive Wednesday afternoon, the day after the freeze set in.

Residents told me about their night. Sitting in their living room by candle light. Listening to what they described as fireworks. First, a loud pop. That was a tree breaking in half. Followed by a showering sound. That was the ice and branches plummeting to the ground.