Northeast ice storm darkens homes, fills shelters

[samanthajane13]

By KATHY McCORMACK, Associated Press Writer Kathy Mccormack, Associated Press Writer – 43 mins ago



CONCORD, N.H. – As temperatures dropped into the teens and single digits in New Hampshire, people who lost power from a massive ice storm arrived at shelters by the dozens.

"We're just loading up more cots and more blankets; I guess we're up to 36 people already," Kevin Pratt, fire chief in the southern New Hampshire town of Raymond said Friday night.

The local middle school usually houses 25 people comfortably, but if the need's there, they'll accommodate, he said. Visitors could eat a spaghetti-and-meatball dinner and take a shower.

"People's houses are getting cold and they're getting cold," Pratt said. "They're wise."

The town has about 10,000 residents, just about all of whom were in the dark following the storm, which left 1.25 million homes and businesses in New England without electricity; some were expected to stay that way for at least several days.

In New Hampshire, emergency management officials, the Red Cross and local communities opened at least 25 shelters across the state.

Gov. John Lynch, who requested a federal emergency declaration in order to receive generators, cots and other supplies from the government, urged residents to check on their neighbors, especially those who are elderly and live alone.

"I think there's no substitute for that kind of neighbor-to-neighbor assistance that New Hampshire is traditionally famous for," Lynch said.

The ice storm compared with some of the Northeast's worst, especially in New Hampshire, where more than half the state — 400,000-plus homes and businesses — was without power. There were far fewer outages during the infamous Ice Storm of '98, when some residents spent more than a week in the dark.

"All the motels have no electricity, and that's why I'm here," said Duke Straychan of Hampton, who came to stay overnight at Portsmouth High School. He can't do without power because he uses an oxygen tank at night. People at the shelter dined on American chop suey and shepherd's pie and watched "The Polar Express" in the cafeteria.

Hot meals of turkey and mashed potatoes were delivered to people staying at Londonderry High School. There were about 100 visitors with more expected, said Leslie Shaffer, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross. She believed most would still be there on Saturday.

The numbers also were rising at Nashua High School South, as well, as surrounding towns filled up their own shelters, said Mark Sousa, the city's emergency manager.

People lost power as far south as Pennsylvania, but most of the outages were in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and New York. Ice-covered trees cracked and fell on roads and cars.

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

At least one death was related to the storm: New Hampshire officials said a 49-year-old Danville man who lived in a camper died of carbon monoxide poisoning after turning on his generator when his power went out Thursday night.

Both Lynch and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick declared states of emergency Friday morning and called up members of the National Guard. Five hundred Massachusetts Guard members were cleaning up debris and clearing access to downed power lines. Lynch put 150 on alert and deployed 25.

"All of the resources at our disposal have been made available to try to get the roads clear and power restored," said Patrick, adding that it would be "ambitious" to think power would be restored by Monday to the 350,000 homes and businesses in his state left in the dark.

"This is not going to be a couple of hours," Patrick said. "It's likely to be several days."

In Methuen, Mass., 40-year-old Itziar Richardson of North Andover was staying at a Red Cross shelter at the Comprehensive Grammar School with her husband and their 2-month-old son.

"I'm not having a good day," she said. "It's definitely not the best situation with the baby, but you have to make the best of it."

Crews from Canada and South Carolina were headed to Maine, where Gov. John Baldacci declared a limited emergency allowing utility crews to work longer hours. Utilities there chipped away at a huge backlog of power outages, reducing the total of more than 225,000 customers to about 210,000, mostly in southern and coastal areas.

In eastern New York, particularly around Albany, the state capital, outages at National Grid and other utilities brought the statewide total 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."

In Vermont, four shelters were set up in southern Vermont for the more than 20,000 customers who were without power Friday night. It could be days before some homes and businesses get their lights back on, officials said.

Route 9 between Brattleboro and Bennington, Vt., a major road, was closed because of downed trees.

The ice storm extended to Pennsylvania, where about 4,700 customers, most of them in the Poconos, lost power, and Connecticut, where some 17,000 customers were without electricity at the height of the storm. Those states mostly got heavy rain or rain changing to snow.

___

Associated Press writers David Tirrell-Wysocki and Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.; Beth LaMontagne Hall in Portsmouth, N.H.; Mark Pratt in Boston; Clarke Canfield in Portland, Maine; John Curran and Lisa Rathke in Montpelier, Vt.; and Mike Hill and Jessica M. Pasko in Albany, N.Y., contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081213/...e_us/ice_storm

[samanthajane13]

Crews fight cold, ice to return power to Northeast
By DAVID TIRRELL-WYSOCKI, Associated Press Writer David Tirrell-wysocki, Associated Press Writer – 33 mins ago



CONCORD, N.H. – Temperatures fell over the ice-coated Northeast on Saturday, where storm-related power failures had already plunged more than a million homes and businesses from Pennsylvania to Maine into the dark and cold.

"If you don't have power, assume that you will not get it restored today, and right now make arrangements to stay someplace warm tonight," Gov. John Lynch of hardest-hit New Hampshire warned.

Officials expected to see more people in shelters Saturday night with temperatures forecast to dip into the teens. It was the third night without power for many.

Utilities in New Hampshire said it would likely be Thursday or Friday — a week after the storm — before all power is restored in the region, partly because of the sheer number of outages and partly because of the devastation.

"What is facing us is the apparent need to rebuild the entire infrastructure of some sections of the electrical delivery system," said Martin Murray, spokesman for Public Service Company of New Hampshire.

Crews across the region saw electric poles, wires and equipment destroyed. The extent of damage was unclear because some roads still were impassable.

"We'd put one line up, and it seemed like another would break," said Stan Tucker, operations supervisor in Springfield for Central Vermont Public Service Corp. "It seems like every line has multiple problems."

In New York, all but five roads managed by state highway officials had been cleared Saturday.

"Things are much better," Carol Breen of the state Department of Transportation said. "But there are still trees coming down because of ice on branches; they're heavy and they can break at any point."

About 1.4 million homes and businesses across the Northeast suffered power outages after a storm coated trees and wires with ice Thursday night into Friday. Most of the outages were in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and New York. Somewhere around 800,000 appeared to remain without power Saturday evening, although some utilities weren't regularly updating their numbers or were reporting combined outages for multistate territories.

Four states declared either limited or full states of emergency.

At its peak Friday, more than 430,000 customers were without power in New Hampshire, the worst power outage in state history. That was down to about 258,000 Saturday night based on late updates.

Because the outages were so widespread, the affected states looked hundreds of miles away for help. Utility crews were en route to the Northeast from as far away as Michigan, Virginia and Canada.

At least four deaths appear to be related to the storm. A Danville, N.H., man who lived in a camper died of carbon monoxide poisoning from the generator he was using after his power went out Thursday night. A couple in their 60s died in Glenville, N.Y., when a gas-powdered generator running in an attached garage filled their house with carbon monoxide, police said Saturday.

The body of a Marlborough, Mass., public works supervisor was recovered from a reservoir Saturday afternoon, a day after he went missing while responding to tree limbs down by an ice storm.

Lynch and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick declared states of emergency and called up members of the National Guard. Lynch also requested a federal emergency declaration and said the government already had sent generators, cots and other supplies.

New York Gov. David Paterson declared a state disaster emergency to speed assistance to 16 upstate New York counties.

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

Utility officials said they anticipated more outages during the weekend as drooping trees and branches shed ice and snap back into their original positions, potentially taking out more power lines.

As line crews worked in hand-numbing cold, residents bundled up and hunkered down around fireplaces, stayed with friends or relatives, stood in line at stores for generators or went to shelters.

"I still don't have power. I can't shower, I can't cook, I can't do much of anything," Debbie Reed, 57, of Rochester, N.H., said Saturday.

She went to the Rochester Middle School shelter Friday afternoon when she started seeing her breath in her apartment.

"My plan is to go home and see how long I can stand it. If the power isn't back on by tonight, I'll come back here," she said. "It's so cold I can only stand it for so long."

In Ridge, N.H., recreation department director Peggi Brogan said turnout at a shelter was sporadic Saturday with people coming in to get food and warmth and then going back to brave their homes.

"We don't know what to expect," she said. "I think a lot of people are afraid to leave their homes because they are afraid their pipes will freeze. But, it's hard to say what's going to happen over the next few days."

Amy Raymond, 74, a retired town employee from Rindge, planned to spend the night at the shelter.

"I have an apartment, but there's no heat, no lights, no water. I spent last night there, but after going through that, I decided not to do it again," she said.

Retired auctioneer Ed Stevens, 88, also came to the shelter.

"I guess if it's between here and freezing to death in my own house, I'll take here," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Beth LaMontagne Hall in Rochester, N.H.; Steve LeBlanc and Rodrique Ngowi in Boston; Jerry Harkavy and Clarke Canfield in Portland, Maine; Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vt.; Stephanie Reitz in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081214/...e_us/ice_storm

[samanthajane13]

More outages possible in ice-ravaged Northeast
By BETH LaMONTAGNE HALL, Associated Press Writer Beth Lamontagne Hall, Associated Press Writer – 51 mins ago



ROCHESTER, N.H. – Utility officials trying to recover from the devastating ice storm in the Northeast warned there could be more outages Sunday as drooping branches shed ice and snap back to their original positions, potentially taking out more power lines.

Roughly 649,000 customers were still without power Sunday morning in upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Utilities in hardest-hit New Hampshire said power might not be totally restored to the region until Thursday or Friday, a week after the storm knocked down utility lines, poles and equipment and blacked out 1.4 million homes and businesses.

President Bush declared a state of emergency in the Granite State and in nine of Massachusetts' 14 counties late Saturday, directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide relief assistance.

Temperatures early Sunday were largely in the teens and 20s, with single-digit readings in much of Maine, including just 2 above zero at Fryeburg. The low at Concord, N.H., was only 9 degrees, the National Weather Service said.

At a shelter in the Rindge town recreation center, volunteers serving soup and sandwiches saw some new faces as residents decided not to try to endure a third night without electricity or heat.

"I have an apartment, but there's no heat, no lights, no water. I spent last night there, but after going through that, I decided not to do it again," said Amy Raymond, 74.

"If you don't have power, assume that you will not get it restored today, and right now make arrangements to stay someplace warm tonight," Gov. John Lynch said Saturday.

Crews across the region reported the ice had destroyed utility poles, wires and other equipment, but said the extent of damage was unclear because some roads still were impassable.

"We'd put one line up, and it seemed like another would break," said Stan Tucker, operations supervisor in Springfield for Central Vermont Public Service Corp. "It seems like every line has multiple problems."

Despite the difficulties, progress was being made. As of Sunday morning, Public Service Company of New Hampshire said about 194,000 of its customers still had no electricity, down from 313,000 Saturday. Statewide, about 234,000 customers were still blacked out Sunday, down from a peak of 430,000 on Friday, utilities reported.

In New York, all but five roads managed by state highway officials had been cleared Saturday. "But there are still trees coming down because of ice on branches; they're heavy and they can break at any point," said Carol Breen of the state Department of Transportation.

New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Maine declared either limited or full states of emergency.

Utility crews flocked to the region from Canada and as far away as Michigan and Virginia.

At least four deaths appear to be related to the storm. A Danville, N.H., man died of carbon monoxide poisoning from the generator he was using after his power went out Thursday night. Carbon monoxide from a gasoline-powered generator killed a couple in their 60s at Glenville, N.Y., police said Saturday. The body of a Marlborough, Mass., public works supervisor was recovered from a reservoir Saturday, a day after he went missing while checking on tree limbs downed by the ice.

At the shelter in Rindge, about 30 miles west of Nashua, Raymond's plight was shared by many.

"Everyone asks, why don't I just stay with friends and relatives, but I say, 'Who?' They're all in the same boat I am,'" she said.

In nearby Jaffrey, gunsmith Len Vigneault said the storm was impressive.

"Telephone poles snapped like toothpicks just laying there," he said. "Fifteen-, 20-inch trees, just in splinters and laying in the road."

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers David Tirrell-Wysocki in Concord, Steve LeBlanc in Boston, Jerry Harkavy and Clarke Canfield in Portland, Maine, Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vt., Stephanie Reitz in Hartford, Conn.; and Melanie Plenda for the AP.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081214/...e_us/ice_storm

[samanthajane13]

Slow progress in restoring power to Northeast




BOSTON – Utility crews worked around the clock to restore electricity Monday to more than 400,000 homes and businesses in five states still without power three days after the region's devastating ice storm.

Many public schools, including those in Worcester — the state's second largest city — were closed with local emergency declarations still in effect in dozens of communities.

James Mannion, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said conditions in some of those areas made it too dangerous to hold school.

"Roads aren't safe to drive on and there might be power lines down. It isn't safe for kids to get around," Mannion said early Monday.

Power companies in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut and upstate New York reported Sunday and early Monday a total of 423,200 customers were still without power. Crews from Canada and as far away as Virginia and Michigan were assisting in restoring power lines.

While some took refuge in shelters, others have been checking in to hotels and motels, including the Howard Johnson Inn in Hadley.

"Half of our rooms have been taken by families coming with their kids and even some dogs," Rick Kim, guest services agent for the hotel, told The Republican newspaper of Springfield.

President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in New Hampshire and in nine of Massachusetts' 14 counties, directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide relief assistance.

New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Maine declared either limited or full states of emergency Friday. Crews across the region reported the ice had destroyed utility poles, wires and other equipment, but said the extent of damage was unclear because some roads still were impassable.

As of 4 a.m., Mannion said there were approximately 118,500 electric customers in Massachusetts without power, down from a peak of 350,000 in the immediate aftermath of the storm on Friday.

New Hampshire, the hardest-hit state, was down to about 168,000 customers without power Monday morning, compared to a peak of 430,000 on Friday, utilities reported. There was also 94,400 without power in New York; 35,000 in Maine; 6,195 in Vermont and 1,104 in Connecticut.

Access to downed power lines and poles remains the biggest obstacle for workers. While the major roads are cleared, many secondary roads in rural areas remain blocked by fallen trees and tree limbs.

The potential for high winds and rain over the next 24 to 36 hours is likely to affect efforts to restore power and may also create additional outages in Massachusetts, National Grid said in a statement.

Mannion said an estimated 2,200 residents without heat or electricity spent the night at 62 emergency shelters around Massachusetts.

In Kennebunk, Maine, Holmes Tree Farm closed on Friday but reopened Saturday. Diane Holmes said people were getting antsy in their homes and needed fresh air. They also needed to return to their holiday traditions. By Sunday, several hundred trees had been sold.

Holmes said the ice-laden balsam firs sparkled in the sunlight, but the ice made them heavy. "I'm telling people, bring a lot of muscle," she said.

In Vermont, Green Mountain Power President Mary Powell was touring affected areas and helping distribute lunches to the line crews. She said the damage caused by the storm rivaled or even exceeded the 1998 ice storm that hit northern Vermont.

"Whenever you get this kind of ice accumulation, there's just nothing from a utility perspective you can do to protect your customers from devastating damage," Powell said.

Emergency management officials reported four storm-related deaths. A Danville man died of carbon monoxide poisoning from the generator he was using after his power went out Thursday night. Carbon monoxide from a gasoline-powered generator killed a couple in their 60s at Glenville, N.Y., police said Saturday.

The body of a Marlborough, Mass., public works supervisor was recovered from a reservoir Saturday, a day after he went missing while checking on tree limbs downed by the ice.


[url]

BOSTON – Utility crews worked around the clock to restore electricity Monday to more than 400,000 homes and businesses in five states still without power three days after the region's devastating ice storm.

Many public schools, including those in Worcester — the state's second largest city — were closed with local emergency declarations still in effect in dozens of communities.

James Mannion, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said conditions in some of those areas made it too dangerous to hold school.

"Roads aren't safe to drive on and there might be power lines down. It isn't safe for kids to get around," Mannion said early Monday.

Power companies in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut and upstate New York reported Sunday and early Monday a total of 423,200 customers were still without power. Crews from Canada and as far away as Virginia and Michigan were assisting in restoring power lines.

While some took refuge in shelters, others have been checking in to hotels and motels, including the Howard Johnson Inn in Hadley.

"Half of our rooms have been taken by families coming with their kids and even some dogs," Rick Kim, guest services agent for the hotel, told The Republican newspaper of Springfield.

President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in New Hampshire and in nine of Massachusetts' 14 counties, directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide relief assistance.

Continued-

[samanthajane13]

New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Maine declared either limited or full states of emergency Friday. Crews across the region reported the ice had destroyed utility poles, wires and other equipment, but said the extent of damage was unclear because some roads still were impassable.

As of 4 a.m., Mannion said there were approximately 118,500 electric customers in Massachusetts without power, down from a peak of 350,000 in the immediate aftermath of the storm on Friday.

New Hampshire, the hardest-hit state, was down to about 168,000 customers without power Monday morning, compared to a peak of 430,000 on Friday, utilities reported. There was also 94,400 without power in New York; 35,000 in Maine; 6,195 in Vermont and 1,104 in Connecticut.

Access to downed power lines and poles remains the biggest obstacle for workers. While the major roads are cleared, many secondary roads in rural areas remain blocked by fallen trees and tree limbs.

The potential for high winds and rain over the next 24 to 36 hours is likely to affect efforts to restore power and may also create additional outages in Massachusetts, National Grid said in a statement.

Mannion said an estimated 2,200 residents without heat or electricity spent the night at 62 emergency shelters around Massachusetts.

In Kennebunk, Maine, Holmes Tree Farm closed on Friday but reopened Saturday. Diane Holmes said people were getting antsy in their homes and needed fresh air. They also needed to return to their holiday traditions. By Sunday, several hundred trees had been sold.

Holmes said the ice-laden balsam firs sparkled in the sunlight, but the ice made them heavy. "I'm telling people, bring a lot of muscle," she said.

In Vermont, Green Mountain Power President Mary Powell was touring affected areas and helping distribute lunches to the line crews. She said the damage caused by the storm rivaled or even exceeded the 1998 ice storm that hit northern Vermont.

"Whenever you get this kind of ice accumulation, there's just nothing from a utility perspective you can do to protect your customers from devastating damage," Powell said.

Emergency management officials reported four storm-related deaths. A Danville man died of carbon monoxide poisoning from the generator he was using after his power went out Thursday night. Carbon monoxide from a gasoline-powered generator killed a couple in their 60s at Glenville, N.Y., police said Saturday.

The body of a Marlborough, Mass., public works supervisor was recovered from a reservoir Saturday, a day after he went missing while checking on tree limbs downed by the ice.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081215/...e_us/ice_storm


I know that here in buffalo, after the October Surprise Storm, repairs to the Electric grid took forever because of the downed trees.

I was fortunate to only lose power for 6hours on the day they shut the whole grid down to flip the switch to restore power to the whole area.

That was on a Saturday afternoon, so the area had no power for several days.

My mom lost power the entire time, and had about 10 inches of water in her basement.

Two years later, they're STILL not finished replacing the trees that were killed-MOST of which were old-growth trees that were in historic areas and parks.

It'll take more than 100 years for them to reach the growth of the trees they're meant to replace.

[One2Snoop]

Ughhhh! I'm so glad I don't live on the east coast any longer. I hate snow!