15th Anniversary of the Ice Storm of the Century - Montreal/Hull area

[Patty Smyth]

Seems like yesterday but I can't believe it' been 15 years. We were spared because the main lines that run into my end of the island came from the north east and it stood up. The rest of the island and much of the hull/gatineau/south shore was without power for weeks.

[Darth Penguin]

I know some people who moved to Ottawa during the summer of 1997 and thier first winter was the ice-storm. S said if they could survive that as newbies, then they could survive any other winter..

[lekate]

Ha I remember the ice storm, we were out of school for two weeks. Our power was only out for half a week I think. To me it was exciting, but I was 11 at the time...

[YOU AND ME]

Wow 15 years already seems like yesterday.We had no power for over a week a tree feel on the neighbour's house and took out the hydro lines and the hydro pole

[Patty Smyth]

One thing that I remember and still find funny to this day is they used snipers in helicopters to shoot the ice off the power lines.

[abbasgirl]

My parents were south of Ottawa and they had no power for almost 3 weeks. In the city things went back to relative normal fairly quickly, but in rural areas there were weeks of farmers working to near exhaustion milking cows around the clock and helping each other out because generators were in short supply and had to be shared. To get to each other, they had to clear the roads of fallen branches themselves because there was no one else to help them.
I'll never forget the sound of silence broken by trees crashing under the weight of the ice.
My mom did get a new fridge and stove out of the ordeal though because the government offered some compensation for appliances destroyed by power surges.

[Patty Smyth]

My relatives in Verdun , southwest part of the island were without power for 9 days.

[xox2010]

We lived in a rural area so didn't have power for more than a week I think. Many of our neighbours left to live in hotels because they just couldn't handle it.