Ice Storm Cuts Power Throughout Northeast

More Than 1 Million Homes And Businesses Without Electricity

(CBS/ AP)  An ice storm knocked out power Friday to 1.25 million homes and businesses from Maine to Pennsylvania, closing schools and tying up travel, and authorities say it could take days for all customers to get service back.

"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."

"I've never seen it this bad before," Worcester, Massachusetts resident Dick Stokes told CBS News' Kelly Wallace. "We've had winter storms, ice storms, everything. Nothing like this. This is the worst I've seen it."

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 dwarfed those during the infamous Ice Storm of '98, when some residents spent more than a week in the dark.

The governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire declared states of emergency Friday morning, and schools were closed and travel disrupted across the region. New Hampshire's court system canceled most hearings and trials for the day.

"I urge all New Hampshire citizens to take sensible precautions and heed all warnings from public officials," Gov. John Lynch said.

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 restoration efforts.

Utilities reported 392,000 homes and businesses without power in New Hampshire, including 300,000 served by the state's largest, Public Service Company of New Hampshire. By contrast, the 1998 storm left 55,000 Public Service customers without power.

"This is the absolute, most significant power restoration effort we've ever had. There has not been a storm before that has affected more customers," Public Service spokesman Martin Murray said.

In Hampstead, N.H., Mark Cegelis, 36, said things were hectic at his neighborhood gas station, which was jammed with people trying to get gas 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 21 gallons for himself and tried to deliver some to some friends in Derry 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.

At a midmorning news conference, Patrick said 350,000 customers across the state were without power - and the number had risen 150,000 homes in just an hour. He power would be not be restored until Monday at the eareliest.

Patrick said it could be days before crews could even begin reconnecting lines and the first step was to safely clear the debris laying across power lines, reports CBS station WBZ-TV in Boston.

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

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 Saco, Maine, south of Portland, you could say misery loved company, Wallace reports. After several trucks became sandwiched between two downed trees, a local resident welcomed the stranded drivers to her house for some goulash.

In Vermont, 25,800 customers were without power Friday morning. Several inches 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 statewide 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 center.

[skeezix06]

Lived through this a couple of years ago. By now some of you, those who still have electricity, have probably discovered that there are companies who exist solely to go from disaster to disaster cleaning things up. While I was extremely grateful, eight days without electricity does that to you, this was a rather disconcerting discovery. I know I never saw a repair truck from my utility company till that summer. Did disaster recovery companies exist before Bush took office?

[jowand]

New Orleans and Houston both get snow. The Artic Sea Ice area is double the size it was at this time last year. Glaciers on every large West Coast mountain are getting larger not smaller.
Obama is going to sign the United Nation Global Warming Treaty when he gets into office. We have stark raving lunatics running everything now.
Next is "carbon credits tax" which will add more trillions in taxes to the consumers back, while Al Gore makes millions from this with his carbon credit trading companies.

[cheetah-man7]

Well, my town has been spared the horrible ice. We got non-stop rain all day yesterday and throughout the night. Today it stopped, but now the cold air has come in and whatever wet roads are out there now will be a sheet of ice. My best friend is completely without power and had a large tree branch break away and demolish his greenhouse roof. What a nightmare. I hope my fellow New Englander''s are staying warm and have adequate food to last them through this bad storm.

[nothappyatall]

Yeah and if everyone switches over to ELECTRIC cars, get ready for it to totally break down these grids- a little ice storm takes down power to several states, good GRIEF the utilities just never lean and keep stringing wires up on 1880''s style telegraph poles instead of in conduit UNDERGROUND!

[hofkurz]

Warm air carries more moisture. If this was global cooling it would have fallen as snow and not as much. This is what happens when the temperature hovers around freezing and warm air overrides cold. So global warming would create more snow and ice.

[barbaram99]

from birth to age 28. I ''member bloody cold winters there. I miss Maine. Christians what would Jesua do . Not battle over it.

[barbaram99]

People this is the holidays. Yes we all have our say. Fighting over the Almighty is not the was to go. I have been posting here for over 2 years. Having lived in Maine

[hawksprings]

When will Global Warming stop this madness?
Why is this still happening when Father Algore promised we would have no more winter?

I want a refund on my carbon credits!!!
Algore, give me my money back, you Fraud!

[centerfall94]

I live in the northeast. Was without power from 12:30 AM last night to 2:30 PM, and many of my neighbors suffered damage to their homes and cars. It''s a pretty bad storm, and with the wind picking up tonight we''re looking at more outages. Hopefully we won''t lose power again but you never know...

[debinok1]

slim,
Dont even get me started on that one, after what he has done and is STILL doing to this country, impeachment isnt enough.

[slim1h2o]

I get testy with fearmongers rofl

Posted by DebinOK1 at 04:29 PM : Dec 12, 2008

Ya me too, but you must really hate Bush then. He''s the worst.

I know he needs to be brought up on charges, if you should ask me.

[coppertales]

Yo, Al Gore, if global warming was a reality, this would not have happened...

[debinok1]

They would have power if it weren''''t for Bush!!

Posted by jamesm12341
***********************
I am all for blaming Bush when he deserves it, but come on he has no control over the weather dude.

[debinok1]

You take that back or else....LOL

Obviously sarcasm...

Posted by slim1h2o
************
I get testy with fearmongers rofl

[slim1h2o]

A little grammar lesson wouldn''t hurt,,,,,,,,,

[slim1h2o]

Give it a rest, people like you are the reason people run the other way from Christians, getting through to people about God is supposed to be done in love, not threats.

Posted by DebinOK1 at 03:47 PM : Dec 12, 2008

You take that back or else....LOL

Obviously sarcasm...

[mrmeatspin]

Posted by HETUP at 03:54 PM : Dec 12, 2008
+ report abuse


********

you are such a f@g suffering from a ''drama queen'' syndrome and inferiority complex..why dont you drop the "i hate religion because I am a fa66ot and they dont like me" insecurity..move on..catch some AIDS and die already..SEEESH!!

you hate them so much you cry for thier attention..YOU BIT(H

[debinok1]

HETUP,
Whatever! You are not worth my salvation, and trying to explain to you that love goes further than fear is futile.

[debinok1]

HETUP,
I am by no means troubled. When I stand before the Almighty I know I will be shown love, kindness and compassion, because that is what I show my fellow man. I will not be shown fear, because I dont sow fear.

[barbaram99]

Yep went to school in Maine. Am legally blind and in my 50s. i meant the word am . I don''t have software to read the web to me, I have kin that can''t read and write. As a Mainer I am thinking of them and hope they do the right in this. I let the Christians to their thing. I do mine. With all the tech out there they know its the weather and not God.