[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 10 (Wednesday, February 11, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S609-S612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE ICE STORM OF 1998

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague, Senator 
Collins, to discuss the unprecedented and historic storm in the State 
of Maine several weeks ago.
  Mr. President, every once in a while--maybe only once every 100 years 
or more--an event happens that truly tests the strength of a people and 
the depth of their spirit. It is an event that strips away comforts and 
security and pretense and reveals for all to see the true nature of 
those whose lives it has in its grip. In my home State--the State of 
Maine--that event began on January 5 and is now known as the Great Ice 
Storm of 1998.
  As shown here in this photograph, you can see the ice that covers the 
streets with the trees over the car. It wasn't just one area of the 
State. This really replicated almost the entire State in terms of the 
devastation of this storm.
  As you would imagine, we are no strangers to a little winter weather. 
But this storm was like nothing anyone had ever seen before. By the 
time five days of sleet and freezing rain had worked their misery on 
the state, Maine was under a sheet of ice more than two inches thick, 
and Mainers suddenly found themselves without power, without heat, and 
facing a life more closely resembling one from 1898 than 1998.
  The State was devastated by this unprecedented storm and many areas 
were described as resembling a ``war zone.'' At its peak, the storm 
knocked out electrical power to an estimated 80 percent of Maine's 
households--and a week later, about 137,000 people were still without 
power. Schools and local governments ground to a halt. Over the weekend 
as the storm finally abated, over 3,000 people sought refuge in 197 
shelters and two days later there were still over 2,000 Mainers staying 
in 111 shelters across the State. And in the end, all of Maine's 16 
counties were declared federal disaster areas.
  As you can see here, another sign that shows the kind of pleas that 
were made by residents all across this State, saying, ``Power, please. 
Our transformer was taken away on Thursday.'' People lost their power 
for up to 2 and 3 weeks.
  The Chairman of the historical committee of the American 
Meteorological Association, who also happens to be an associate 
professor of science, technology and society at Colby College in 
Waterville, MA, summed it up best: ``So far this century there has been 
nothing like it . . . It will probably make the meteorological 
textbooks--as one of the biggest storms ever.''

[[Page S610]]

  I traveled Maine extensively in the wake of the ice storm, and I was 
overwhelmed by the extent of the destruction, as we see here another 
photo of all the downed poles. That is exactly what happened all across 
the State. You can see the condition of the road. But it was a total 
destruction of the forests, the pole lines, as well as the telephone 
poles across the State. Three-quarters of the State, as I said, was 
affected by it.
  Trees and branches felled, power lines snaked across ice-encrusted 
streets and major utility structures crumpled as if made of tin-foil. 
In fact about 50 such structures, an eight-mile stretch carrying the 
major electrical line into Washington County--the easternmost county in 
Maine and the United States--were destroyed.
  The owner of that line, Bangor Hydro, needed 170 utility poles and 
144,000 feet of 115,000 volt transmission line just to repair the eight 
miles of downed lines that left 10,000 Washington and Hancock County 
residents without power. Central Maine Power, the other major power 
company in the state, estimated that 2 to 3 million feet of power lines 
fell--2,000 utility poles had to be replaced as well as 5,250 
transformers.
  Between 1,200 and 2,000 National Guard soldiers were called to active 
duty, and 200 Army and Air National Guard personnel helped clear the 
roads. Central Maine Power had crews of more than 2,500 line and tree-
trimming workers on the job. And Maine hosted line crews from Maryland, 
Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania; New Jersey; 
Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; New Hampshire; and New Brunswick, 
Canada.
  Broken trees and broken power lines littered the Maine landscape as 
far as the eye could see. But I discovered one thing in my travels that 
was never broken--one thing that may have been stronger after the storm 
than before--and that is the spirit of Maine's people. That is why I am 
speaking here today, Mr. President. Mainers faced the tremendous 
challenges this storm presented with resolve and a caring spirit which 
is truly remarkable and which makes me very proud to call Maine home.
  Everywhere I went I heard stories of neighbors helping neighbors: 
people inviting strangers into their homes so that they might be warm, 
lending a hand with fallen trees so that they might be cleared and 
sharing advice so that no one would feel alone. Rising from the 
devastation left in the storm's wake was a tide of generosity and 
giving emblematic of Maine people, and it was deeply heartening to know 
that such compassion is alive and well in America.
  Paul Field Sr. and his son, both of Bridgton, worked tirelessly and 
virtually without sleep for 10 days cutting branches, clearing roads, 
fighting fires, draining pipes, helping neighbors and moving generators 
to where they were most critically needed.
  And Paul was not alone. In the Town of Albion, farmer Peter Door 
trucked a portable generator from farm to farm and slept in his truck 
while dairy farmers milked their cows. In Fairfield, Town Manager Terry 
York was moved to tears when talking to the Bangor Daily News about the 
volunteers who helped residents through the crisis.
  Out of state crews found Mainers' attitudes remarkable. One member of 
a Massachusetts crew that put in two weeks of 16 hour days restoring 
power to the towns of Otis and Mariaville said, ``When I left there, I 
was proud to be a lineman. My hat goes off to the people of Maine. 
They're really a special breed.'' The same lineman said he never heard 
an angry word, even though many residents had gone over a week without 
power and heat. In fact, people offered the linemen food and even 
hosted a public spaghetti dinner for the crews.
  Indeed, throughout the state, people took strangers into their homes, 
brought food to elderly residents unable to get out, looked after the 
homes of those who were away, and cooked meals at local shelters. 
Maine's potato growers gave away truckloads of potatoes to those in 
need of food, radio stations fielded calls from residents sharing vital 
information and advice, and television stations banded together to 
raise over $115,000 for Red Cross relief efforts.
  My deepest gratitude goes to all those who made life a little easier 
for others during this most trying of times. In particular I want to 
recognize and extend my profound gratitude to the outstanding Red Cross 
officials and the over 1,800 volunteers who did an incredible job of 
organizing shelters and delivering vital emergency services, as well as 
the dedicated men and women of the National Guard who did not hesitate 
for a moment to provide assistance. Also the outstanding employees of 
the Maine Emergency Management Agency who deserve recognition for their 
timely and professional response to the disaster.
  Again, you see what linemen crews did here in working on these downed 
power lines, as I said, and which was pervasive all over the State on 
miles and miles and miles of line.
  I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to the men and women on 
utility crews from Maine and from throughout the country who toiled day 
and night to clear roads and rebuild a crippled power grid. These 
dedicated individuals worked incredible hours and in terrible weather 
conditions to bring the state back on line. They are truly unsung 
heroes and I thank them for their tireless work.
  Indeed, to give you some idea of the magnitude of the effort, in one 
instance Air Force cargo planes made 13 trips between North Carolina 
and Maine to bring 50 fresh crews and 47 bucket trucks to lend a hand. 
It took 5,000 people to carry out the logistics at an estimated cost of 
this single operation of $1 million.
  In Augusta, local Public Works employees logged, on average, an 80 
hour week, with some as high as 102 hours. The Maine Department of 
Transportation spent $600,000 in overtime in one week and in that same 
time they used 54,000 cubic yards of sand and 5,000 tons of salt to the 
tune of another $600,000.
  And the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers worked with 
my office to coordinate their volunteer efforts to help reattach 
damaged entrance service cables on residences throughout the state so 
that the power company could re-energize the homes. (In one weekend, 
Local 567 helped put 75 houses back in shape so the power could come on 
and families who had done so long without heat could once again be 
warm.)
  Those dedicated IBEW workers provided help where it was most needed, 
and I applaud these dedicated teams of electricians who donated their 
time, supplies, and skills to make vital repairs across the state. 
Indeed, it was an honor for me to spend time in the field with some of 
these unsung heroes to let them know how much I appreciate and admire 
their selfless efforts.
  Finally, I want to thank all the volunteers who--in the face of their 
own difficulties--took the time to help others affected by this 
unprecedented storm. (We may never know their names or their faces, but 
we know what they have done and we are very, very grateful.)
  It is a credit to Maine people that we coped as well as we did and 
made speedy progress in recovering and rebuilding. Everyone pulled 
together from Governor King to town officials to the Brotherhood of 
Electrical workers. But it was clear that we still needed help. We are 
an independent people and proud to solve our own problems, but this 
time even we couldn't do it alone. That is why the federal government's 
response to this disaster was and is so important.
  The Vice President's personal tour of Maine in the wake of the 
disaster spoke to the magnitude of the challenge we were facing. I 
appreciate the Vice President's visit and the President's prompt 
declaration of 16 Maine counties as federal disaster areas.
  This declaration opened the door to a variety of assistance, and it 
is estimated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that about 300 
Maine towns and non-profit organizations will seek public assistance 
from the agency. I am pleased that FEMA has established field offices 
in Maine to assist Mainers who are still trying to put their lives back 
together and I expect they will remain in the state for some time.
  Because the fact is, the repercussions of this storm will be felt 
long after the ice melts and the first blossoms of spring make their 
way north. Dairy farm losses continue to mount and state agricultural 
officials may not know for months the full impact of the storm on the 
industry. Utilities are estimating that their costs will top $70 to

[[Page S611]]

80 million. The State of Maine estimates that they need the release of 
$12 million in LIHEAP funds to help those who normally don't use the 
funds but will sign up this year, and to defray the costs of buying 
generators for those eligible.
  Small businesses across the state have been reeling from lost 
business--as of last week the Small Business Administration has taken 
450 applications for low-interest loans from individuals and 
businesses, and awarded loans of $173,000. And overall, FEMA has 
considered 20,869 applications for individual and family grants, 10,085 
applications for disaster housing, 9,849 applications for SBA home and 
property loans and 4,410 applications for SBA business loans.
  This tremendous need for assistance must be met, and that is why I 
will continue my efforts in conjunction with my colleague from Maine, 
to ensure that Maine people have rapid and efficient access to the 
assistance that will become available over the days and weeks ahead.
  Mr. President, we are working with the other States who were hit by 
the storm--Vermont, New Hampshire and New York--on a supplemental 
funding package to help our states recover from the devastation of the 
ice storm. The fact remains that we still must obtain an emergency 
release of LIHEAP funds, we still must acquire supplemental assistance 
to help prevent Maine's ratepayers from having to foot all of the 
utility bill, estimated to be $80 million; and the U.S. Forest Service 
estimates that it will cost $28 million to clean up the more than 7 
million acres of working Maine forest which has suffered moderate to 
severe damage; for making our farmers and our small businesses whole 
again and for the additional costs our states have identified that they 
cannot cover.
  My colleagues from the Northeast and I and my Maine congressional 
delegation have started working with the Appropriations Committee to 
assure that supplemental funding to meet the needs of our States can be 
included in the first supplemental funding bill which the committee 
will begin work on early next month.
  As many of my colleagues know, we have faced the challenges posed by 
disasters in their own States. They recognize how important this 
additional assistance is to their States, and I hope that we can get 
this assistance as quickly as possible in order to ensure a quick and 
full recovery from the impact of this historic disaster.
  I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.
  Ms. COLLINS addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hutchinson). The Senator from Maine.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, will the distinguished Senator from Maine, 
Ms. Collins, yield just for a unanimous consent request?
  Ms. COLLINS. I would be happy to yield.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. I thank the distinguished Senator.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on the completion of the 
remarks by Senator Collins, Senator Cleland be recognized for 5 
minutes, that I be recognized then for 20 minutes, and that my 
colleague, Senator Rockefeller, be recognized for 10 minutes to speak 
out of order.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I again thank the Senator.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague, the 
senior Senator from Maine, to describe just some of what the people of 
Maine have experienced in recent weeks, namely, the worst natural 
disaster in our State's history. The ``Ice Storm of the Century,'' as 
we refer to it in Maine, began innocently enough with a light rain on 
Wednesday, January 7. By the time it let up 4 days later, however, the 
storm had encased the State in a layer of ice up to 10 inches thick and 
left well over $100 million in damages in its wake.
  When all we need to do to restore power is to flip a switch in our 
fuse boxes, it is very easy to take for granted just how essential 
power is to every aspect of our lives. Electricity allows us to cook 
our meals, heat our homes, and communicate with our neighbors and our 
friends. From the second we wake up in the morning, usually from the 
buzz of an electric alarm clock, power plays an integral role in our 
daily lives. Think for a moment of everything that you are able to do 
today so far because of power. Then just imagine how you would cope 
without power for 10 days or even longer as many Maine residents had to 
do. This ice storm was the single most devastating natural disaster to 
hit Maine in recorded history. Over 800,000--that is approximately 7 
out of 10--of our residents lost power for at least some part of the 
storm, some for as long as 2 weeks or even longer.
  As you can see from these pictures, Mr. President, power lines, 
telephone poles and trees were snapped in two by the massive onslaught 
of ice. This is a picture that appeared in the Bangor Daily News of 
power lines and of poles, telephone poles, and as you can see the tops 
of them have been sheared off by the massive weight of the ice.
  Mr. President, I grew up in northern Maine. I am very used to mighty 
winter storms but never, never in my life, have I experienced a storm 
like this one. As I looked out from the window of my home in Bangor, 
limbs from my favorite maple tree in the front yard came crashing down 
on my roof and against the picture window in my living room. 
Transformers lit up the night with blue sparks as ice brought them 
tumbling down as well. And I was much more fortunate than many Maine 
residents. Many businesses were forced to close due to the lack of 
power. People took to placing signs in the snow with arrows pointing to 
their homes reading ``No Phone No Power.'' Even the National Weather 
Service located in Gray, ME, lost power for over a week and had to rely 
on a not-so-reliable generator to track the latest weather developments 
and to help keep Mainers safe and informed.
  These pictures of a twig and a tiny blade of grass covered with 2 
inches of ice were taken on the lawn adjacent to the National Weather 
Service office. As you can see, telephone poles were snapped in two, 
trees were coated by ice.
  Mr. President, this is literally a blade of grass. We have a closeup 
that I am going to show you next on this.
  This shows you just how amazing the ice was from this storm. A single 
blade of grass is photographed here encased with ice.
  Adding insult to injury, on Saturday, January 25, just as Mainers had 
begun to return to life as usual, a second ice storm hit, knocking out 
power to 165,000 Mainers and crippling the electric grid in a region 
that had managed to come through the first storm relatively unscathed.
  By all accounts, the worst of natural disasters brought out the best 
in Mainers. Volunteers flocked to shelters to lend a hand and to help 
serve meals. The State's television stations joined forces to raise 
money for the Red Cross, and our radio stations and newspapers provided 
practical tips and encouragement to help keep up the spirits of Mainers 
during our worst natural disaster. Heartwarming stories of people with 
little or nothing giving all that they could were commonplace during 
this tragedy. For 10 straight days, for example, one man opened his 
home to his neighbors every single night, housing the elderly and 
infants in his town and helping to remove the heavy branches from roads 
and from his neighbors' driveways.
  On a personal note, when I ran out of wood after my fourth day 
without power, a neighbor quickly came to the rescue to help keep my 
pipes from freezing. Acts of kindness like this one exhibited by my 
neighbor were repeated over and over again in countless communities 
throughout the State. One in particular touched me deeply.
  When I was visiting the Red Cross shelter in Bangor at the Air 
National Guard base, I talked with an elderly woman in a wheelchair who 
had been forced to leave her home because of the storm. She was 
obviously a victim of a stroke and was unable to move much of her right 
side. In addition, it was obvious that she was a person of very modest 
means. Nevertheless, she said to me, ``Could you help me by reaching 
into my pocketbook. I have $2 there that I would like to donate to the 
Red Cross.''
  Mr. President, that is the kind of spirit, of generosity and kindness 
that characterizes Maine people. Even in

[[Page S612]]

her dire situation, this woman was able to think of people less 
fortunate than herself. That spirit of kindness and generosity helped 
us to survive the ``Ice Storm of the Century.''
  Unfortunately, while kindness and good will and generosity and a 
sense of community helped us to get through the worst of the storm, 
they alone cannot complete the recovery.
  Mainers experienced serious financial and property losses as a result 
of the storm. Early estimates put the damages to homes, businesses, 
utilities and public property at well over $100 million, and it is 
still growing. The estimated cost of repairs to Maine's power grid 
alone is a staggering $70 million, and that is money the ratepayers of 
Maine will have to bear unless there is assistance forthcoming from the 
Federal Government.
  However, simply attaching a dollar amount to the damage fails to 
provide a true picture of the devastation experienced by virtually the 
entire State of Maine. To give you a more vivid idea of the destruction 
of the ice storm of 1998, I want to share some statistics with my 
colleagues.
  During this ice storm, 7 out of 10 Mainers lost power, some for as 
long as 14 days; schools across the southern and central portion of the 
State closed for many days, some for over 2 weeks; all of Maine's 16 
counties were declared Federal disaster areas; at just one hospital in 
central Maine, more than 80 people were treated for carbon monoxide 
poisoning, 4 people, unfortunately, died of carbon monoxide poisoning; 
thousands of families were forced into more than 100 emergency shelters 
across the State, hundreds of thousands of others spent the night with 
their families, with family members, neighbors or friends; more than 11 
million acres of Maine's forest lands--that is more than half of the 
State's total--were damaged by the storm. Of this total more than 3 
million acres are classified as severely damaged; 1,200 utility crews 
from as far away as Nova Scotia to North Carolina were sent to Maine to 
help restore power lines. We are very grateful for that assistance; our 
telephone company, Bell Atlantic, dispatched 625 fieldworkers, several 
of whom were on loan from other States; in a remarkable development, 
the Department of Defense actually airlifted bucket trucks and power 
crews to help us with the repairs; manufacturers of electric parts from 
as far away as Alabama worked overtime for 10 days to help meet our 
power company's needs; 3 million feet of electrical cable were 
irreparably damaged and nearly 3,000 utility poles had to be replaced. 
Think of how sturdy a utility pole is. We lost 3,000 of them during 
this storm.

  Even after the debris has been removed and our electric 
infrastructure has been repaired, much of Maine's natural resources 
based economy will take years to recover. Dairy farmers, maple syrup 
producers, apple growers, and our forestry industry were particularly 
hard hit. In addition, because of the countless downed trees and limbs, 
some of the 11 million acres of damaged forest lands will remain 
vulnerable to fire and to insect attacks for years to come. Neighbors, 
Government agencies and nonprofit organizations rallied to the support 
of the hundreds of thousands of Mainers displaced by the ice storm, but 
it will take a strong commitment from the Federal Government for 
Mainers to truly complete the process of putting their homes, their 
bases and their communities back together.
  Vice President Gore's tour of the hardest-hit areas and the prompt 
assistance of FEMA, HUD and SBA demonstrate the Federal Government's 
concern for Mainers and their commitment to recovery efforts. But 
additional help is needed. So as we enjoy the comfortable spring-like 
temperatures in Washington, DC, I urge my colleagues not to forget the 
Mainers buried in ice and snow. I hope that my colleagues will remember 
these statistics and the photographs that the senior Senator from Maine 
and I have shown you today in the coming weeks as we join with other 
members of the Maine delegation in asking for my colleagues' assistance 
through a supplemental appropriation for disaster relief.
  I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senator from 
Georgia is recognized.
  Mr. CLELAND. I thank the Chair.

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