As eastern Canadians mark the 10-year-anniversary of the devastating ice storm of January 1998, emergency workers and power companies say they're taking stock of improvements they've made to be better prepared.
A decade ago, they were scrambling to help millions of residents who lost power due to severe weather. Almost five million people in southeastern Quebec, eastern Ontario, and parts of the Maritimes were hit by three blistering storms that brought with them freezing rain and bitter cold. Some areas received as much as 100 millimetres of rain between Jan. 5, 1998, and Jan. 10.
The scene was pretty at first. Freezing rain glazed trees, power lines, and entire communities with sparkling ice. But the cold remained for days and the beautiful postcard images turned into what many say was the greatest natural disaster in Canadian history. Others claimed it was the "storm of the century."
In communities throughout eastern Canada, the cold weather would not let up. The ice accumulated and became heavier and heavier. Soon ice-laden trees were falling on city streets, cars, and homes. Making matters worse, the ice also toppled power lines, cutting electricity to millions, with some residents forced to live without power for nearly a month.
In some parts of eastern Canada, it got so bad that the army had to be called in to help. Although the storms had been predicted, their devastating toll was not. More than 100,000 people were forced into makeshift shelters, as aid workers rushed to keep up with an increasingly worsening weather situation.
The Red Cross says it is now better prepared to handle a similar emergency situation. It has stockpiled material in fifteen warehouses across Quebec alone.
"The government purchased some fifty thousand cotts, such as these," said Red Cross executive Conrad Sauve, pointing to a pile of emergency materials.
"(There are) blankets, comfort kits, you have the pillows here."
Some of the most memorable sounds and sights of the January 1998 storm were the crackling of power lines that came crashing down in front of national and international news crews covering the weather phenomenon.
In just a few days, the ice knocked down a power system in parts of Quebec that took decades to set up. In that province alone, as many as three million people were without power, some for weeks. Hydro Quebec officials say the storm taught them some important lessons and led to $2 billion in upgrades.
Now electric towers are built to withstand more extreme weather, the power lines have been reinforced, and there are also backup lines.
"Today, compared to ten years ago, Hydro-Quebec is ready and is stronger," Hydro-Quebec spokesperson Flavie Cote told Â鶹´«Ã½.
While thousands packed into emergency shelters once the power went out a decade ago, some residents tried to ride out the storm at home in the dark and cold.
Leaning over a fireplace and sifting through firewood Dave Maynard remembers trying to desperately stay warm after the storm hit.
"I was doing this every two hours at night," Maynard -- a resident of Otterburn Park, Que., recalled as he put more wood in his fireplace.
But trying to keep warm also led to disaster for some. Some homes caught fire and some residents fell victim to carbon monoxide poisoning. In all, 46 deaths were linked directly to the 1998 ice storm.
Many residents say the storm left an indelible impression. Pointing to his daughter, Quebec resident Eric Giroux recalled her first winter.
"Ten years ago, Melanie was six months old. She was still breastfeeding (and) we were sitting in the car freezing," Giroux said.
He decided then that he would not take any chances in the future. Giroux has since gone out and bought his family an industrial-strength electric generator.
