Northeast Ice Storm 12/12/08

[MaineSkiLady]

It was (and continues to be) pretty rough: almost 1,000,000 homes and businesses lost power, NH hit particulary bad (Nashua, NH and region w/o power since yesterday a.m.), ditto most southern coastal counties of Maine. Adirondacks/NY hit heavily as well.

Storm widened in north/south depth as it moved ENE, so much of Maine was affected. Emergency heating shelters set up all over the state for those w/o power or generators. Lots of trees and power lines down, icing was up to 1" in regions, many of which expect to be w/o power for up to 3 days.

I'm frankly amazed that my region retained power (!! a first !!). We lucked out due to the sun emerging at around 1 p.m., quickly melting off much of the ice (not as much here) that was weighing down tree branches. Temps began bottoming out by 3. Anyone who didn't get driveways cleared (us) by that hour was SOL/in for some hard work.

All Maine ski resorts were affected by the rain-to-ice and will require the better part of the weekend to repair.

Heads up to anyone traveling in this region: lots of road ice still out there, much of it "black."

 

[ski diva]

Just heard on the news that for some areas in New England, this is the worst ice storm in 30 years. It's not too bad here in south central Vermont, though both Killington and Okemo suffered power outages yesterday, and I heard that some other VT ski areas did, as well. What a mess.

Hope things improve for everyone in Maine and everywhere else affected by this.

Looks like a BIG storm headed for the PNW. Wouldn't mind getting some of that snow here!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Actually, Maine's biggie was in January, 1998, when most of the state got hit BAD. (We didn't live here then, but DH was here on business about 3 weeks afterward.) So everyone is comparing to that, but that one went on for 3 days before it relented. Not as bad here, but NH really got clobbered. (They have been in harm's way at least 3 times in the last couple of years, had super-bad flooding one spring as well, with fatalities.) People were being urged to NOT stay in unheated homes last night, as temps fell into single digits, but many refused due to the very real chance of pipes freezing/mega-damage. Have yet to check local headlines and should.

Finally some good snow coming in the west, indeed: I heard Montana is in for it, and with below zero temps as HIGHS .

We are okay here but have to get to work on the ice dams on roof today. Temps should moderate by Mon-Tues.

 

[Telluride Ski Babe]

I lived in New England for many years, so have been through a number of ice storms. They can be downright scary. MSL and Wendy, glad to hear both of you didn't really see that much of it. I'm calling my SIL this morning (she, hubby and my niece live just outside of Great Barrington) to see how they fared.

And, the snow has already begun here. As the NOAA weather discussion starts out, "this is going to be a biggie." Of course, my car would take this opportunity for the battery to seemingly fail...I'm on my way to Telluride Tire before I go skiing today...

 

[MaineSkiLady]

New Hampshire now reporting that this is the worst outage ever for them - 400,000+ homes and businesses in that state alone. Crews en route from PA, MD, OH. Could be up to a week for them. We have plenty of ice up here, just caught a break with the warmer sun early aft - otherwise.... Probably will not see my driveway for awhile, and it's on an incline. UPS not thrilled with us right now!

 

[playoutside]

Have heard from some of my good friends outside Rt. 495 in MA and they are really in a mess. One lost power at 9 on Friday. No heat, no water, not fun. They are coming to stay with me tonight. They relied on a gas stove in their camper to make some coffee and soup yesterday; helped them stay warm enough but it's getting colder. They were able to get out of their street late yesterday to check on parents and other family, no one has power or heat. All of them are hearing that it'll be several more days before they can expect power. She said there are telephone poles snapped all over and that there are lots of branches resting on the wires. So far the trees that they lost avoided cars and houses so that is a blessing, but its still pretty windy with a lot of ice, very dangerous.

Everyone please stay safe and warm! Check on people who may have been impacted by this.

 

[Gloria]

I was wondering about auxillary heat sources for those affected right now. That's really sad hearing that many are without. I can't imagine. Hopefully clears soon and people aren't going to be faced with busted pipes on top of everything ( if they aren't already ) else going on. Right before Christmas too, as if anyone needs more to worry about right now. My thoughts and prayers to those affected.

 

[playoutside]

My friend said some in her neighborhood have generators, but now the problem is turning into a gas problem. If you can get out of your street, few stations have power to run the gas pumps. They showed Fitchburg, MA on the news last night where the storm was really bad...one station had power and 2 hr wait to get gas. Bet they are out of gas by now.

She also said they lit a fire, but it only brought the house temp up a couple degrees. Not enough if you have kids or seniors in the house. Bundling up and moving around only works so long.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

In Maine, crews have arrived from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Michigan is sending crews to other NE regions, along with PA, MD and OH (sorry if redundant info). 9 hospitals have just come back online (hospitals) - running since yesterday on auxiliary/back-up. Even a lot of the emergency shelters have been w/o power. Incredibly serious situation, as tonight will be a VERY cold one. Up here, we are going to get to about -10 (but didn't lose power). There's also a (great) new law in Maine that gas stations have to have some auxiliary power capability for pumps, as many homes have generators out here in the more rural regions. I'm sure many more homes in the urban regions of NH and MA will follow suit after this storm. Could be until Wednesday before the majority of power is restored.

 

[Christy]

Looks like a BIG storm headed for the PNW. Wouldn't mind getting some of that snow here!

It's supposed to be our biggest and coldest since 1990. Finally there is snow but when we get these huge dumps with feet and feet, we can't GET to the ski areas because of avalanches, road closures, etc etc.

 

[Gloria]

My friend said some in her neighborhood have generators, but now the problem is turning into a gas problem. If you can get out of your street, few stations have power to run the gas pumps. They showed Fitchburg, MA on the news last night where the storm was really bad...one station had power and 2 hr wait to get gas. Bet they are out of gas by now.

She also said they lit a fire, but it only brought the house temp up a couple degrees. Not enough if you have kids or seniors in the house. Bundling u and moving around only works so long.

Wow, see I didn't even think about the gas pumps. Probably the same for propane huh? Alot of people around here would rely on propane heaters down in crawl spaces to save their pipes, but even that wouldn't work in these cases. Really kind of makes me heartsick to have not only something like this happen, but literally this leaves people out in the cold.

 

[MaryLou]

We live in Mass, and were about 10miles east of where the ice started, very lucky. Many people at my work were without power (and live in towns I saw on national news). I'm at Sunday River this weekend, and many people escaped to their second homes, but one guy I rode the lift with said his wife ran home to NH early today, she was too worried about pipes. I don't know how you could leave a house in freezing weather with pipes full of water though - they show all these people on the news moving to shelters and haven't answered this question. It's supposed to be in single digits tonight, a house won't hold the heat that long in weather like this (and it's an absolute disaster if pipes freeze in your house).

My sister lives in ME and they lost power for 2 weeks in '98. Hopefully it's not so bad this time around. At least they had a generator, and within a couple days they had to return to work and adapt, life goes on. Really appreciate electricity (and all the workers) today!

 

[michpc]

Everything stayed wet and not icy here in Boston, but my mother works for a botanic garden near Worcester, and they're closed for at least 3 days.

 

[Snowflower]

Good luck to all of you, this does sound a lot like the storm in 1998. I don't miss that kind of weather!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Good luck to all of you, this does sound a lot like the storm in 1998.

After the 1/98 ice storm that hit Maine - especially rural areas - way hard (I wasn't here then), most rural homeowners got smart - either installed wood stoves or generators or both. The generator system was in place when we bought this house - we have since added a wood burning insert to an existing fireplace as well. Generator runs the furnace, well pump, fridge (who cares in winter?), some lights and outlets. Goes through about 1 qt of gas in 4+- hours depending on wattage use. (we know, unfortunately, from experience) I'm guessing there will be another large increase in demand for generators following this. My region was without power during that storm for almost 2 weeks.

This latest storm gave sufficient enough notice that we had about 8 gallons of gas ready to use. No one quite expected this much icing, though.

 

[Jilly]

I remember the ice storm of 98. We were just on the edge of the mess that hit Eastern Ontario, Quebec and NE US. 20 minutes from home there was no power. Relatives were out for 3 weeks in eastern ontario. I remember seeing trucks from somewhere in the states lined up at one of the local hotels one night. I'm glad to say that our Ontario Hydro and Hydro Quebec guys were able to help their brothers in power business after hurricanes in the states. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some of the Hydro and Bell Canada guys are on their way to Maine to help again. There seems to be spirit among these guys that it doesn't matter where they go or where they're from, they are there to get things going again.

Don't forget to top up the oil in the generator MSL!!

 

[Jilly]

Well the Canadian Maritimes faired pretty good. Only 15,000 homes in New Brunswick without power. NB is sending 18 crews into Maine to help out. I remember in 98 one of the biggest problems was finding poles to replace the broken ones. Hopefully this won't happen this time.

Hope all our Diva's and their families are OK!

 

[playoutside]

Just a little update on the ice in MA. I still have houseguests/refugees from the ice storm staying with me; schools may open for them Wed, but that requires a leap of faith to believe. We visited their home yesterday briefly and toured around a bit. Inside their house it is 40 degrees, not pleasant when you stop moving. They bled the water from the pipes and the temps are warm today, so that at least isn't a worry. I saw the damage for the first time and it is 3 days since the storm ended. It is amazing. Ice is still on trees, huge debris piles are everywhere, telephone poles are snapped and laying in the road, wires are still laying in major roads. The secondary roads are barely passable in many areas. Much of the clearing has been done by neighborhood residents. The professionals remain busy with major routes. We saw numerous caravans of tree service vehicles and electric company...we made a game of it to spot where the trucks were from. Most that we saw were NY, but some were PA. I know assistance has been brought in from as far away as VA and OH. These crews are amazing working around the clock. Still its hard to see the progress.

We visited with my friends extended family and you wouldn't wish their living conditions on enemies. One family has hunkered down in the kitchen, huddled around the stove (managed to keep that room at 60), they brought recliners into the kitchen to sleep...this household includes an 85 year old and someone sick with parkinsons. They finally agreed to go to other relatives homes yesterday. At least they finally had that option as some folks did get power yesterday.

This storm/damage has really been interesting. I live closer to Boston and there was never anything more than rain...25-30 miles away is where the conditions begin to worsen. The beauty and power of nature continues to shock and amaze me.

I'm thankful I have space to share with my friends, but worry about those not so fortunate. Please stay safe and continue to check in with those impacted by this storm.