A tough story to retell because, no matter how many awful details we can include, it will not come close to the magnitude of the devastation it caused in Canada.

Every newspaper, every wire service, every television station, including Martha Foley on NPR covered the story … Jan. 5-10, 1998.

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The North Country

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The Enterprise, Jan. 13, 1998:

“The weekend storm crippled the North Country, cutting power to more than 300,000 people and bringing travel to a halt as telephone poles and trees were knocked to the ground from high winds and ice. Niagara Mohawk [now National Grid] officials estimate power may not be restored to some areas for two to four weeks.

“Utility crews from across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and some as far away as Virginia and Maryland are assisting Niagara Mohawk in the restoration effort.”

Saranac Lake and this immediate area did “dodge the bullet,” but that term is pejorative when looking at the big picture.

As an example, Bill Sullivan with Franklin County Emergency Services imposed a travel ban for most of Franklin County from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. “He said the towns of Altamont and Harrietstown are the only towns not included in the overnight travel ban.”

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Saranac Lake conditions

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A headline in another Enterprise story read, “Little Damage to the Village,” but that was a bit misleading. Power was out in the entire village, and trees and big limbs littered every street. Here are excerpts from that story: “Although Saranac Lake escaped the weekend storm with minimal damage, village officials are interested in getting help from the National Guard to help clean up Mt. Pisgah.

“The mountain opened for business Tuesday despite a number of downed trees and limbs covering a large portion of the ski area. Village Manager Howard Riley said part of the mountain is open, but the majority of the trails need to be groomed and cleaned before it can be fully operational. Riley pointed to a number of small buildings on top of the mountain owned by the state police and Niagara Mohawk that were covered with fallen trees but he said the total damage had yet to be determined.

“Fortunately the new ski lodge at the mountain was not damaged in the storm. Volunteers checked the building during the storm and returned heat to the structure when power was restored.

“The Village Board requested Riley to contact the National Guard — stationed at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid — to assist in the cleanup.

“Besides problems at the ski area, Saranac Lake officials were concerned with high water levels at Lake Flower, the Saranac River and the Bloomingdale Road. Riley indicated that water levels rose as much as 10 inches in some areas. Village employees monitored the water level throughout the weekend.

“‘There were no major problems but we were on pins and needles here,’ said Riley.

“Mayor Tim Jock commended the job of the village employees who worked around the clock during the storm. ‘We’re lucky to have such dedicated staff. Saranac Lake is always up to the call and again this weekend showed our true colors. I’m proud of each and every one of them,’ Jock said.”

For two nights during the storm, I drove through every street in the village multiple times in the VM’s retired police car with a big yellow light on the roof casting eerie shadows on the darkened streets, keeping in radio contact with village workers and helping to coordinate arising problems.

The village workers did do a remarkable job, as Mayor Jock said.

The second night I went home at about 4 a.m. and backed the car into the garage. Although everything was shut off, so I thought, the yellow light came on and the neighbors phoned, believing the garage was on fire.

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Ice storm in Canada “worst ever”

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Headlines in Canada read “Canadian Ice Storm of 1998” — “One of the Worst Weather Events in Canadian History.” Other headlines called it the North American Ice Storm that “also affected parts of New York and New England.” A summary of the damage in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick …

“Farmers were especially hard hit. The storm caused the deaths of thousands of cows with no power to operate the milking machines. A third of the cropland in Quebec and a quarter in Ontario were in the affected areas. Milk processing plants were shut, and about 10 million liters of milk had to be dumped. Much of the sugar bush used by Quebec maple sugar producers were permanently destroyed.

“Twenty-eight people died, many from hypothermia; 945 people were injured; More than 4 million people [in the above provinces] lost power; 600,000 people had to leave their homes; 130 power transmission towers were destroyed; million of tress fell.

“The estimated cost of the storm for Canada was $5,410,184,000.”