Northeast Ice storm - everyone OK?

[Freedom]

I'm not sure who on here may be in the area involved?

An ice storm has made a mess of things from Maine to Pennsylvania.

Officials say the storm has knocked out power to 1.25 million homes and businesses, closed schools and tied up travel in several states.

The storm brought rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow through Thursday night, and in some areas the miserable mix was continuing Friday.

For New Hampshire, the power outages even dwarfed those during the infamous Ice Storm of 1998, when some residents spent more than a week in the dark.

Fire departments were responding to reports of transformer explosions, wires and utility poles down and trees falling on homes. Utility crews were so busy dealing with public safety hazards like live power lines that they weren't immediately able to begin repairs.

The governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire declared states of emergency Friday morning.

"This is pathetic," said Bob Cott, in Portland, Maine, who lost power for the first time in 10 years. "I'm already sick of winter and we have nine days to go before it officially begins."

In Hampstead, N.H., Mark Cegelis, 36, said things were hectic at his neighbourhood gas station, which was jammed with people trying to get fuel for home generators.

"It's kind of lawless out there right now. There's a lot of people very frustrated, stacking up at the gas stations. It's pretty ugly."

He bought some 200 litres for himself and tried to deliver some to some friends in Derry, N.H., but couldn't get there because of downed trees blocking roads. So his friends came to him instead, and were expected to hunker down until power was restored.

The ice storm extended to Pennsylvania, where about 4,700 customers, most of them in the Poconos, lost power, and Connecticut, where some 16,500 customers were without electricity at midday.

In most areas in those states, though, the big storm system left its mark in the form of heavy rain or rain changing to snow.

Gov. Deval Patrick's emergency declaration in Massachusetts would enable the governor to take further steps, such as mobilizing the National Guard, if needed as the day wore on, officials said.

In eastern New York, particularly around Albany, the state capital, outages at National Grid and other utilities brought the total in the state to more than 255,000.

"Trees were down on all the roads," said Miguel Figueroa, 28, as he waited for coffee at a Starbucks in Colonie, N.Y. "... I couldn't even get on the Thruway today."

Central Maine Power Co. said more than 190,000 customers in the dark as of late Friday morning, mostly in southern and coastal areas. Bangor Hydro Electric Co. reported more than 11,000 outages.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci declared a limited emergency allowing utility crews to work longer hours.

In Vermont, 25,800 customers were without power Friday morning. Several centimetres of snow, caked with ice toppled trees onto roads and power lines.

At least 20 Massachusetts towns declared local states of emergency even before the governor made the state-wide declaration.

"Stay home if you live in Holden; don't come to Holden if you work here," Holden, Mass., fire Chief Jack Chandler said.

The entire town was without power and some senior citizens on oxygen were transported to a hospital or a shelter opened at the town's senior centre.


Video of the ice storm:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...,3491937.story

[Freedom]

Here in RI, we got rain; lots and lots of RAIN. In fact, we set a record for a 48 hour period, over 5.11 inches!!! Everything is a damp soggy mess. And we had flooding "in all the usual places," as the local weather folks say.

This afternoon, we drove up to Dad's house to check on things. The power has been off since about 2 AM on Friday, and so there is no heat. The water was still running, so no frozen pipes, YET! We will have to go up and check again.

The back yard is a mass of downed pine branches from the storm. Will have to get someone to clean up. We have 4 pine trees back there, huge ones, over 150 years old. Surprising, the lamp post and light are in tact, the picnic table is fine, nothing damaged, just lots of downed limbs!

I took photos , but we got up there at dusk so they didn't come out too clearly.

While we were there, the next door neighbor's son drove up. He has power and his mom is staying with him (she is close to dad's age, 82 or thereabouts). He said it was a strange experience, you didn't realize much during the storm, it was AFTER, when you went outside and saw all the downed utility poles, limbs and branches and such that you realized there had been an "event!" His mom did hear one or 2 crashes from the tree branches during the night of the storm. She promptly advised us what she heard were the ones coming down in OUR yard; apparently the ones in HER yard came down silently! LOL, she had us in stitches.

The collateral damage (from lack of heat, things like frozen pipes and food going bad in the refrigerator, as well as people using improperly vented gas heaters) is what makes this a tough thing.

[Cinder & Smoke]

This afternoon, we drove up to Dad's house to check on things. ...
The back yard is a mass of downed pine branches from the storm.

(Neighbor Lady) did hear one or 2 crashes from the tree branches
during the night of the storm. She promptly advised us what she heard
were the ones coming down in OUR yard; apparently the ones in HER yard
came down silently!
LOL, she had us in stitches.

YIIPES!

Some of those "branches" would qualify as TREES!
Hope Dad's power is restored quickly.

[moosmom]

Boy, this ice storm brings me back to 35 years ago. Connecticut was in a state of emergency. We were without heat or hot water for a week. What a nightmare that was.

[RipplingWaves55]

I'm in neither. I'm in Arizona, Show Low. We have huge gusts of wind, rain & lots of snow & ice.

[elizabethann]

Electricity is back on after 57 hours without it. I lost it Thursday night and got it back Sunday. On Thursday night, all I could hear were trees and tree limbs cracking and falling. A huge tree limb broke right next to my bedroom window. Good thing it fell the other way. When I woke up, there were trees and tree limbs down everywhere. I tried to take Fenway for a walk, but tree limbs were falling everywhere around us so I high-tailed it back home. By noon on Friday, I had enough and packed up JoJo, Oliva and Fenway and went to my Mom's for Friday night & Saturday night. I finally had power on Sunday. I took Fenway for a walk last night and the whole town is pitch black. I was one of only a handfull of homes that had electricity. I feel bad for the folks who still don't have it. They're saying they may not have it for Christmas. That's so sad.

I took some pictures of the cemetary where I walk Fenway.









This was on Sunday after I got power...

[fritz03]

Great pictures Elizabeth,not so great for people who lost their power.Like the one with the frozen Pumpkin.The trees look beautiful covered with ice.

[Freedom]

Elizabethann, those photos are stunning! Thanks for sharing. I am so glad you are back home with heat and all.

Most of my cousins are still without electricity, as of 4 this evening.

[Karen]

Dad lost power for all of 5 minutes, but spent this afternoon getting rid of the branches and limbs of pine trees that came down in the storm. Even the Walmart and the gas station across from it were closed on Friday, and my big brother had a heck of a time getting to work.

[lvpets2002]

Great pictures Elizabeth,not so great for people who lost their power.Like the one with the frozen Pumpkin.The trees look beautiful covered with ice.

I will agree.. I hope everyone is safe & have heat back on now..

[Freedom]

Nope, still over 100,000 with no power. Spoke with one of my cousins today, in Kingston, NH; word is, they will be lucky to have power returned by Christmas! He and his wife, along with their 2 daughters, 2 sons in law, and 4 grandchildren, are all camped out at a friend's house, a friend who has power. Most of NH has well, so with no electricity, the pump won't work, and there is no water, for things like flushing.

He said it is a very organized effort. First the snow plows come through, and move all the debris to the sides of the road, so the road is open and accessible. (There is no snow to speak of, they are not plowing snow). Next the wood cutters come through, removing dangling trees, limbs and branches from the wires and poles. Finally, the electric company cherry pickers come through, getting the wires reconnected. It is a long slow process, in the cold, and with 3 inches of snow predicted overnight tonight.

I finally reached some cousins for the first time today on their cell phones. They have finally made it to friends or hotels where they can recharge the cells. They said they feel like pioneers!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

I took some pictures of the cemetary where I walk Fenway.

These 2 pics are FANTASTIC !!!