Most of the work, however, was in supply and other support functions.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma National Guard wasn't more visible in Tulsa during the recent ice storm because its assistance with duties such as directing traffic wasn't requested.

However, the Guard played a substantial role behind the scenes, delivering generators, water and cots to where they were needed, officials said.

Maj. Gen. Harry M. "Bud" Wyatt III, the state's adjutant general, said the Oklahoma National Guard was able to fulfill every request it received.

But no requests came from law enforcement to carry out the functions of keeping the peace and providing public safety, he said. Instead, Wyatt said, Oklahomans worked together, resulting in a minimal threat of looting or other problems associated with disasters.

City officials who assessed the aftermath of the ice storm didn't see a need to request the National Guard's help with policing duties.

"The No. 1 priority of the city was the health and safety of Tulsa residents," said Mayor Kathy Taylor's spokeswoman Cheryl Lovelady.

Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency Director Mike McCool said officials in the emergency operations center had assessed the situation by Monday afternoon and had sent off an emergency declaration to the state seeking other types of assistance, such as generators.

"Our Police Department and the Sheriff's Office were handling

Deputy Police Chief Mark Andrus said the department's southwest division had received reports of only two accidents at intersections where traffic lights were out since the ice storm began.

At the height of power outages, stoplights were dead at 260 intersections.

"Everybody acted admirably," Andrus said of drivers in Tulsa. "I was proud to see how people adjusted."

State Sen. James Williamson, R-Tulsa, said he did not see "the National Guard at all," but he was heartened by people's reaction to the disaster.

"Frankly, when you have 90 percent of the lights out, there is no way law enforcement or anyone can prepare for that," he said.

Wyatt noted that about 2,600 Guard members are being trained at Fort Bliss for deployment to Iraq and 400 more are in training statusk, but he said the Air and Army Guard still have more than 7,000 members in Oklahoma.

"The notion that the Guard is not here, not ready, is way off base," he said.

Paul Sund, a spokesman for Gov. Brad Henry, said the National Guard helped deliver generators, provided water to some communities and also supplied cots to shelters.

"The Guard was here from Day 1. They even prepositioned generators," anticipating the need once the ice storm hit, he said.

Wyatt said the Guard has been asked to aid law enforcement in previous state disasters, including the flooding in the Miami area, where Guard members were needed to assist in traffic control.

But the big problem following the ice storm was the loss of power, he said, noting that the Guard provided a staging area for FEMA generators flown into Oklahoma and delivered to Guard sites in Tulsa and Oklahoma City two to three days before the storm hit.

Wyatt said all of the Guard's activities were coordinated through the state Office of Emergency Management. This coordination was necessary for the state to receive federal disaster assistance, he said.

Much of the Guard's aid went to Tulsa and northeastern Oklahoma, he said.

About 23 Guard generators were taken to shelters and also to a center for the handicapped in Broken Arrow.

World Assistant City Editor Paul Tyrrell contributed to this story.

Mick Hinton (405) 528-2465
mick.hinton@tulsaworld.com