Chronology 1998

loading...

Tuesday, Jan. 6

Freezing rain falls on central and eastern Maine as rain falls on the coast and 5 inches of snow are tallied in Houlton by 2 p.m. The University of Maine in Orono shuts down at 2 p.m., and keeping the runways at Bangor International Airport ice-free requires an all-out assault. “Everybody’s falling on the ice. We’ve had lots and lots and lots of broken wrists. It’s been as busy as it’s ever been,” says Dr. Bob Anthony, chief of the emergency department at St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor.

Wednesday, Jan. 7

Schools, businesses and government buildings close en masse in eastern and central Maine. Church groups, martial arts classes and bingo and beano games cancel their meetings. Price of salt spikes due to scarcity. “Everything is normal right now. We have an outage plan,” says Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. spokesman Bill Cohen at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 8

Hundreds of thousands of homes are without power. In the morning, 350 Bangor Hydro-Electric customers were without power; by 3 p.m., the number had climbed to 6,000. Gov. Angus King declares a state of emergency. Central Maine Power deploys more than 90 crews to restore power. People scramble to stores to buy bottled water, batteries and groceries. “Everything that has a blue light is out there,” says Bangor police Sgt. Jim Owen, as numerous vehicles slide off the roads.

Friday, Jan.9

Three hundred thousand people are without power. Gov. King calls on the Maine National Guard to help clear thousands of tree limbs and debris from roadways. At 5 p.m., the Bangor Fire Department reports having fielded 204 phone calls in the previous 30 hours, mostly for downed power lines. “Get out your checkbook,” Gov. King tells the national director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Saturday, Jan. 10

A major transmission line running along Route 1 from Ellsworth to Jonesport is damaged, leaving thousands of people in Hancock and Washington counties without power.

A Waterville man and a Newport man die from carbon monoxide poisoning after inhaling the gas produced by generators.

Sunday, Jan. 11

Temperatures fall to the single digits overnight. One hundred thousand households regain power, but 200,000 remain without electricity.

Hospitals report treating people for hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning and slipping on ice. Five of six Maine Public Radio stations return to the air.

Monday, Jan. 12

An Oakland man dies from a blow to the head by a tree while helping a friend clear debris near a Vassalboro camp. Gov. King asks President Clinton to declare Maine a federal disaster area. Schools in Penobscot, Washington, Hancock, Somerset, Waldo and Knox counties remain closed. Motels are full as 162,000 remain without power. Bangor Hydro nixes deal with Indeck, a wood-fired plant in Jonesboro, citing “an outrageous price.”

Tuesday, Jan. 13

President Clinton declares Maine a federal disaster area, with the federal government to absorb 75 percent of the public costs associated with the storm. Gov. King estimates costs associated with storm total $6.2 million. Households without power number about 121,250.

Wednesday, Jan. 14

National Weather Service expects lower temperatures to hit the state as forecasters issue storm watch for heavy snow Thursday and Friday. Several schools remain closed. Food from USDA helps restock pantries. A helicopter drops tanks of fuel headed to the transmission site of WVOM radio on Passadumkeag Mountain. High winds create a dangerous situation for the crew, forcing it to drop 22 tanks from the air. About 104,890 households remain without power.

Thursday, Jan. 15

Vice President Al Gore visits Maine to see damage in Lewiston and Augusta. About 82,000 households are still without power. University of Maine reopens. Gore declares Aroostook County a disaster area. Maine Department of Transportation requests that drivers stay off the roads as crews continue to clean up debris. More than 150 people are counted as having been treated for carbon monoxide poisoning since the storm began.

Friday, Jan. 16

About 60,000 households remain without power. Repair of the 8-mile damaged transmission line Down East is estimated to cost $1.5 million and will take four to six weeks to complete.

Saturday, Jan. 17

Six hundred ninety eight Mainers register for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Indeck officials, owners of a wood-fired plant in Jonesboro, offer to fire up the plant and defer to a third party to determine the price of electricity. A loan office opens in Lewiston with government entities and financial institutions lining up to offer low-interest loans.

Sunday, Jan. 18

Less than 10 percent of Mainers who had lost power because of the storm remain without it – about 30,600 homes.

Monday, Jan. 19

A few hundred Hancock County residents enter their 12th day without power. More than 20,000 homes are still without electricity. Indeck and Bangor Hydro come to an agreement and the Jonesboro wood-fired plant is on 24-hour standby to help supply power to Washington County. About 270 people remain in shelters.