Sheryl Whitmore, Auburn

The new year began with ice. It covered everything with thick transparent glass that was beautiful and deadly, especially to the trees and power lines. We were fortunate to have a small coal stove, but no coal as my husband had given our supply as a Christmas gift to a family in need, not knowing our hour of need was fast approaching.

Fortunately the local hardware store carried coal enough to keep our home warm.

We also had a fireplace, wood, gas range for cooking and running water. We became the host for our family and a friend whose homes were not equipped to function without electricity. These three people made it a holiday with laughter and cheer. We were overcome with thanks to the utility workers from ConEd Boston when their trucks entered our neighborhood and restored power.

The aftermath of the storm caused our son and his wife to remain with us for three weeks. Maureen was pregnant with their first child. We had bantered the hopes she would make it through the storm. My husband and I left to visit family on Jan. 17, only to arrive in Omaha in time to receive news that Maureen was in labor, and their son was born on the 18th. We returned home to a happy, healthy family warming our home and our hearts.

We remember the ice storm every year as we celebrate a birthday in January.

Margo Mercier, Auburn

My sons, Randy and Rodney, and I had paper routes to do, starting at 4 a.m. Wires and trees were down all over the place. We only could go so far on certain streets. The boys would head one way and I would head the other way. We went over and under trees and wires and met back at the car and headed for another street.

Coolidge Street was that way for a few days. It was good to get to the Town House. We could get warm while we were delivering to all the floors, then head out for some more streets.

We got a day off that week because the Sun Journal lost power. The next day we had two papers to deliver. (I think one of the papers was taken to another city to be printed.)

That was just the beginning of the day. My older son, Randy, a junior at Edward Little (no mid-terms that year) had a part-time job – and I repeat, part-time job – at Little Caesar’s on Center Street. He got a call to go in for a few hours to get some dough ready. No breakfast. Just got up, got ready and out the door he went. He didn’t get home until after midnight, then got up to do the papers at 4 a.m.

This went on for a week. When Little Caesar’s in Auburn lost power, he would go to Little Caesar’s in Lewiston. Then Lewiston would lose power and, wouldn’t you know it, Auburn had power back, so back to Auburn he would go. It went on like this for two to three days. He put in between 60 and 70 hours that week. Not bad for a part-time job.

My other son, Rodney, was out playing in the backyard and came in and said someone was shooting out in the woods, so I kept him in. Then I went out on the street for a walk and heard what we thought was a gunshot. It was the trees with ice on them cracking and falling (it did sound like gunshots).

We were lucky. We only lost power 20 minutes at a time, but for others it went on for days.

Then it was time for school to start up for real, then life got back to normal.

Jeanne Raymond, Lewiston

I live on the shore of No Name Pond. Because the electricity was out I could not pump water. On my knees, I was chopping a hole in the ice to get some. Out of the mist I saw a pair of green rubber boots appear in front of me. Looking up I saw a giant of a man with a salt and pepper beard grinning down at me. He carried a big auger on his shoulder and was wearing a dark knitted cap,woolen britches and a wool plaid jacket.

“Are you Paul Bunyan?” I asked in awe.

With dancing blue eyes he replied in a gruff voice, “Yuh might say that, Mam. Where would yuh like the hole?”

He proceeded to drill the spot I pointed out. Grateful, I thanked him, dipping the pail as he walked off toward a small tent he had pitched by the ledges to ice fish. The next day he appeared again to open the refrozen hole for me.

He would only tell me that he lived in Gray and loved the beauty of No Name Pond and the quiet. He did let me give him an occasional coffee. We were without power a couple of weeks.

Every day “Paul” appeared. The day the electricity went on was the last day I saw him.

I sure wish I had thought to take his picture.

I remember the day a cheerful fireman and a policeman showed up at my door. “We are checking the elderly,” they said. “Nobody here fits that description,” I replied. We all laughed.

They checked my kerosene heater and gave me some safety tips.

Our neighborhood took care of each other.

Isn’t it a wonderful world in spite of all the chaos?

Patty Vieta, Sabattus

Our daughter Sarah was home from college during the ice storm. We lost our power in Sabattus; we live in a mobile home so it gets cold fast. Sarah had five exotic birds and two goldfish. My husband said we would lose the birds and the fish if we did not find warm shelter. Sarah was horrified to think of this.

I called our good friends Donnie and Jane Wile in Lisbon Falls and they invited us to stay with them. They had running water and a woodstove. They had no power as their electrical meter box had been ripped from their home by fallen trees.

They let my husband, myself, Sarah and Sarah’s exotic birds and goldfish stay with them for over a week. They had a cat at the time so it was fun keeping “Boots” away from the cages. They also let others stay with them. I think, at one time, we had 10 of us there, including another family of four.

We were the last vehicle to drive down Route 9 before it was closed. Cars had slid off everywhere. It was a very scary ride to Lisbon Falls. Sarah was lying in the back of the Jeep and kept all the cages from tipping over. We had the fish in a big pickle jar. The trees had fallen down all over Route 9 and it looked like a war zone. The ice and branches kept hitting the sunroof as we drove. We just kept going at a snail’s pace and I remember praying we would make it to Lisbon Falls safely.

At the Wiles’ we cooked on the barbecue and camp stoves. We played lots of cribbage and told stories. We ate very well. It was actually a very nice time!!

We will never forget the Ice Storm of 1998 nor the generosity of these special friends. In 1999 we had a get-together to remember the storm and Donnie actually considered shutting the lights out – but we talked him out of it!!

Peter Geiger, Lewiston

As editor of the Farmers’ Almanac, January 8, 1998 will be a day that lives in infamy. Managing Editor Sandi Duncan and I had an early morning flight to New York City to begin work on the 1999 edition. At 4 a.m., Sandi called my house to say that she had lost power and couldn’t do her hair. Twenty minutes later, I lost my power, and subsequently, the Portland Jetport shut down. At that point, we didn’t know the severity of the storm, but it was apparent that we were not going to make it to New York City that day.

While Geiger had power, we were able to conduct business by phone. Sometime after 11 a.m., I was called by CNN and asked about the storm that was moving into Maine. The Farmers’ Almanac called for rain in our book that day, but none of us realized that it was going to be quite literally the “storm of the century.” Soon after my CNN phone interview, I received calls from as far away as Alaska calling and commenting on the ice storm.

As the day progressed, the people who lost power started to head home. In early evening, Geiger finally lost its power. I’ll never forget the sound as I closed the building. There was an eerie sound of gunshots with tree limbs snapping all around the building. Little did I know that for the first time since moving to Maine in 1955, we would not open our doors due to a lack of power on Friday. The challenge going forward was not only restoring our power, but helping our associates who, in some cases, were without electricity for two weeks.

Amanda Guy, Lewiston

We lost power quite late on that first day of the storm and, though Mom and Dad opened their homes to us, we did not want to travel too far in the storm at night. Instead, we decided to camp out at the shelter at Lewiston High School.

I will never forget that night. My youngest son had just turned 1, and he had not begun sleeping all night yet, never mind trying to get him to settle in a high school gym! I remember sitting with him in my arms, singing “Children of Our Heavenly Father” to him over and over again.

I also remember thinking that this was most likely the closest I would ever get to become a refugee. My thoughts and prayers went to the millions of people around the world who would not be getting up the next morning to travel to the warm home of family and friends. For the next 10 frustrating days that we had to spend away from our own home, I tried to keep it all in that perspective.

I teach at Lewiston High School now. Sometimes when I walk into the gym, I stop and freeze for a moment and remember that night so many years ago. I am truly thankful for what I have!

Reynald and Lois Lefebvre, Leeds

During the actual storm we remember being awakened by what sounded like gunshots as ice -laden trees broke all over our yard. Both my husband and I work for social service agencies that needed to continue providing services after the storm.

So, for 14 days and nights we took turns going to work. One of us would stay home and tend the tiny wood stove in our basement that kept everything from freezing and kept the house a toasty 54 degrees, and the other one of us would go to work where they had heat, electricity and running water.

Living in the country, when you lose power you lose all the previously mentioned amenities. Thank goodness for our little wood stove which provided us with warmth, melted ice for washing up and heat for warming meals. We even purchased a battery-operated skill saw and cut two register holes through our floor to let the heat come up to our living quarters.

For the first few days it was a little like camping, but it grew old very quickly. On the 14th day when it was my day to go to work I saw the CMP trucks coming north in our direction and tears came to my eyes. We survived the Ice Storm of ’98.

Betty Turgeon, Lewiston

When the ice storm started I thought it wasn’t going to be a big deal. Over the next couple of days I knew I was wrong, it was going to be the “storm of the century,” one that I was not going to forget for the rest of my life.

When power first went out, my family and I thought this is going to be fun, the candles, the fireplace keeping us warm, hot chocolate on the Coleman stove and everyone together in the living room staying toasty warm.

We had fun taking walks outside in the woods, admiring the glistening ice coating everything. As the ice kept building up we could see tree limbs bowing and snapping under the weight. I can remember one of our walks in the woods my son remarked that he kept hearing shotgun blasts and we couldn’t figure out who would be out shooting at that time. Well, as the blasts continued, we realized it wasn’t a gun but the sound of large trees snapping. It was at that time I thought maybe it wasn’t a great idea to be there.

As time passed, days without power turned to weeks and it wasn’t fun anymore. I hooked up a generator to make life a little more comfortable. Working 12 hour shifts and returning home, making sure the generator was gassed and the wood stove had enough fuel to keep it going for the next day made for some long days.

I remember it today as a fun time overall, that we as a family were able to spend quality time together. The trees still bear the scars of that time and everytime I look up at them I am reminded of “the great ice storm of ’98.”

Austin Dumont, Auburn

When we lost power, my family headed to a hotel in Lewiston that had power. My Memere and Pepere live in Lewiston and when they got their power back several days later, we headed to their house. Then they lost power again and we had to get all covered up in blankets. While my older brothers and sisters were cold and bored, I was warm and happy … the ice storm didn’t bother me one bit! That” because I was in my mother’s stomach!!!! I was born July 4, 1998. And I had a little secret that even my mother did not know yet. I was not alone during the ice storm … my twin brother, Noah, was with me!

Terry Tiner, North Belgrade

We were without CMP power for 11 days. A wood stove was our salvation. About six days into the storm I was able to borrow a generator. If you were to ask me what impressed me the most, it was the silence of the black night broken often by the sharp crack of another limb breaking off a tree, or the tree itself snapping.

Those beginning nights when the only light you would see was a flashlight or a neighbor’s car lighting up the yard. Shhh … snap – I almost forgot the smell of the burning candles.

Carol Preo, Auburn

We were without power for a short three days, which felt like forever to us, but considering the amount of time others were without power this was short.

My family was fine having a woodstove for heat and cooking lanterns and battery powered TV.

I was employed at the Auburn Home For Aged Women; the residents there were safe, warm and loved. Sandy Tukey, the administrator of the home, had insisted the board of managers allow her to purchase a huge generator to maintain the integrity of the residents’ lives in an outage. We had experienced a few powerless nights … which lead to her insistence on a generator, never dreaming we would experience such an outage.

Sandy is an amazing, smart lady. Residents always come first to her.

Residents had friends at Heritage Court, a senior housing complex on Spring Street. We decided to prepare meals, including hot corn chowder, hot beverages and a full turkey meal and desserts.

The residents, being thankful, took a collection for us. We used the money to make a party for them which we called “We survived the Ice Storm ’98.” A grand prize went to the winner of a contest for who could guess how long it would take for ice to melt in a large bowl. It took six hours for that ice to melt.

Norm Doucette, Auburn

I was at home in Dale City, Vir., when I heard of the ice storm on the news. I called my friends, the Roy family on East Avenue in Lewiston, and had the storm described to me.

The Roys said the sky was lighting up from crossed power lines and the city looked like and sounded like it was being bombed. The branches from their trees were all but touching the ground and several branches had broken off.

I remember one of the Roys saying, “this is the scariest storm I’ve ever been in.”

I recall wishing them well and saying a prayer for those in the Ice Storm of 1998.

Bob Stone, Auburn

After a day and night without power, it seemed every business in Lewiston was closed. I drove to the bank on Canal Street and checked on things. There were no employees there and the building was cold. The computers were silent.

There was one phone line working and I managed to call some of the key staff to tell them that there was no point in coming in. I locked up and slipped and slid up to Simones Hot Dog Stand.

The only heat at Simones was from the gas grill and steamers. The establishment’s windows were totally steamed up. Regulars were in, eating breakfast and sharing stories.

The late George Simones (Papu) was determined not to let the situation get the best of him and was his customary jovial self. Son Jimmy was all excited and animated. Nothing had changed at Simones Hot Dog Stand.

Downtown was a ghost town. No traffic and no people. And the ice just kept on accumulating throughout the dreary day.

We lived in a wooded area, and the cracking and thud of branches hitting the ground behind the house for hour upon hour was eerie.

Generators popped up at the neighbors houses, one by one. The neighborhood men would go from generator to generator, standing around in the freezing drizzle watching the machines do their magic. The generators purred day and night.

We were powerless for eight days. Service was restored by crews from West Virginia and Rhode Island.

It was not fun.

Tanya Plourde, Fort Kent

I was in Turner when it happened. I was about 12 and had no idea we were even supposed to get anything.

We were without power for 11 days, but thank goodness we had a wood stove. My parents had closed off my room and placed all the food and whatnot in there. Better to keep the heat to the rooms we needed the most. We slept out in the living room just to make sure the fire kept going.

All day and night you could hear the buzzing sound of generators. We had nothing but an old battery-powered radio that surprisingly gave us enjoyment at night; the only channel we could get for a while was an oldies station.

About Day 3 into the storm we had the windows wide open because we ended up getting it really hot inside. My mother needed to use up the food in the freezer so she took the turkey we had and cut it in half and put it on the barbecue.

By the end of the storm everyone else was using their barbecues, too. During the time we ended up losing two maple trees in our front yard that fell on our house. Being the daring family we are, we decided to venture out to see the other damage around town. We had gotten onto Lower Street in Turner and came across a telephone pole that snapped off but was still attached to the lines and was hanging in the middle of the road. We had to turn around.

We made trips to the stores to get what food and water we could find. Marden’s was only open for batteries and candles, which came in handy for the five-inch black and white TV we had bought so we could actually watch the news instead of just listening to it. Some of our neighbors had left their homes because they had no way to heat them. A friend’s toilet had frozen over.

For my family, it was an adventure. We made it fun.

Connie Venskus, Rumford

Among my impressions was getting out of school at noon here in Rumford (I’m a teacher) and when I got into my car and began to drive home huge splashes were hitting the windshield and freezing on it. Before I got to the end of the street, I could barely see out of the windshield. Scary!

Another memory was walking to the local convenience store to get some milk (did not dare to drive!) and hearing branches and trees cracking in the woods behind homes.

The scariest memory was driving to the Boston area to drop my son off so he could catch a train back to Syracuse University. (It was either on a Saturday or Sunday.) We drove down during the day and as we went along we saw the devastation. It really looked like a war zone, with trees bent over (especially the birches, I remember) and one particular area was in Turner where the Northland Apples place was. Apparently, a downed power line had been dragged by a big rig and had pulled down several utility poles. What a mess!

As we came into Auburn, chunks of ice were falling off power lines that crossed the road and narrowly missed several cars (including ours!)

By the time I returned to Maine, it was dark. There was no power in Lewiston. (I think I somehow missed the Auburn exit and ended up going through Lewiston.) It was a very eerie experience driving through the darkened city, and especially frightening at intersections that normally have traffic lights.

The drive from Auburn up through to Rumford was equally strange without power in most homes and businesses along the way to act as landmarks. There was the flicker of candles that could be seen in some homes but otherwise it was a very lonely drive!

Here in Rumford we were out of school at noon on a Wednesday and never went back until the following Wednesday. I happen to live in an area of Rumford that is on the same power grid as the nursing home so we were without power for a total of maybe only 10 hours. Some of my fellow faculty members living in outlying areas were without power for almost three weeks. We were definitely fortunate.

Anita Brown, Arrowsic

I was working for Lutheran Social Services of New England at an area group home in Lewiston the night the storm struck. When it became clear that the power would not be restored anytime soon, we evacuated the consumers in our care to a motel in Portland. While driving across town to meet up with staff and residents from another home, the only light was from transformers that were blowing all over town from the build-up of ice. The repeated flashing “booms” were like watching the skyline in a war movie.

We spent several days in that motel. We worked as a team taking turns shopping for food, giving baths and doing laundry. The women in my care were remarkable in their resilience. It was nearly three days before anyone was able to get through the maze of closed roads.

On the ride home I recall having to detour down roads barely passable from fallen branches and power lines. The sun shone brilliantly as we wove back and forth around debris in the road. During those two to three days I learned a lot about myself and what strength I had within me. I gained a greater appreciation of what the individuals in our care are capable of and what they have to offer.

Now, 10 years later, I still see an occasional bent-over birch tree that survived the storm, bowed over but not broken, and I recall the events and experiences of the ice storm of ’98.

Cindy Schafer, Lisbon

During the ice storm of 1998 I stayed with my in-laws, along with my husband, 2-year-old son, two sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, husband’s grandmother, one cat, one dog and a few birds. It was, of course, crowded, but it was a warm place to stay with running water.

For those few days until we got power back, we ate together and spent time together; I will always remember it. I also remember going back to work and talking to people who, after a week, still did not have power and as discouraged as they were, most of them were not bitter.

I think as a community we knew that the many agencies helping out were doing the best they could to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. As bad as it was for so many people, it was a real eye opener about how willing other states and agencies were to pitch in and give us the helping hand we needed.

Emilie Newell, Bowdoinham

Jan. 6, 1998 is when the ice storm began in South Paris. I was visiting my dad at the Market Square Nursing Home. It was the last time I saw him. I had to get back home to Bowdoinham. He passed away Saturday, Jan. 10, 1998.

I could not get there to see him as power lines were down in yards and there was no power at our home for 14 days. We had his funeral with partial power, and I must once again thank the South Paris Fire Department for all they did for us with the funeral and all. My dad was fire chief in that town for 35-plus years. They certainly made things happen, and what a beautiful funeral he had even though we were without many things we consider necessities. I hope to never see another two weeks like that was.

We also were the very last house on our road to get our power back, but so many thanks go to all our friends for all they did for us in such hard times and I would keep telling myself my dad would have been proud how we still laid him to rest in such style and so many loved ones still attended all services.

I tried very hard to not take pity of myself and family as I knew many, many people throughout the Northeast were in the same situation with the ice and no power. Amazing how many things we take for granted: phone, lights, water, use of bathroom and many more until we have no power.

Sterling Hinkley, Turner

January 8, 1998, the weather was cloudy with freezing rain, and it was a real mess. We had lost our power during the night and it looked like a lot of damage outside. I could hear the trees in the forest breaking and the ice-laden branches crashing on the ground. It was an eerie sight and sound. This was day one without power.

After the power went out at my workplace, I was sent home because no work could be done. The driving wasn’t bad except looking out for falling ice or trees. We were OK at home as we had wood heat and were able to get water with a hand pump in the cellar. My 94-year-old father moved in with us because we had heat and he had none, but our two children went to live with friends while we were keeping the home fires burning.

Jan. 14, day seven without power, but the crews are getting closer as they have restored power to a family about a mile from our home. The weather has turned cold and windy after a mild stretch, which included the ice storm.

Jan. 15, the power came on about 4 p.m. this afternoon which meant that I had to turn on the electrical appliances and get things working again. It seemed wonderful to hear the hum of electric motors and see the lights burning brightly after so long in the semi-darkness of kerosene lamps.

Scott Fish, Dixmont

I spent much of the ice storm on air at Bangor’s radio station WVOM 103.9FM. Among the first casualties of the ice storm was Maine’s Emergency Broadcasting System. Jerry Evans had recently moved to Maine from California. When he bought WVOM it was a small, dingy studio in the basement of a building on State Street. But it was a 100,000 watt FM signal.

When Jerry realized the severity of the ice storm, that the EBS had gone down, he suspended normal programming and promised to stay on air acting as a public conduit of information as long as possible. And he did exactly that.

In one State of the State address, Gov. Angus King recognized Jerry Evans and WVOM as truly the “voice of Maine” at that time – which is exactly right. WVOM was able to stay on air through the help of stranger volunteers who found out what Jerry was trying to do and wanted to help him. Snowmobilers were running propane tanks up the mountain to WVOM’s radio tower to keep the generator running. One guy even climbed the tower to chip off ice!

WVOM was the place for citizens to call for ice storm info and for help. For example, it was not uncommon to hear from people in need of wood, medicine, food, and so forth. The calls for help would come in and go over the air and always some Mainer stepped forward to help. Also, there were many, many good common sense tips related. I remember one call from a woman who had a kerosene lamp and kerosene – but no lamp wick! What to do? Someone heard her question and called in to tell her to cut a wick from an old pair of blue jeans.

I believe all of what happened on air is still somewhere on tape.

I’ll always remember it as a shining moment for Mainers.

Thomas Bonica Jr., Bethel

I was working for the Maine Department of Transportation camp in Bethel and was called out about 2:30 A.M. When I left my house, I thought that I heard gun shots in the woods; must have been breaking limbs.

I was dispatched to Route 2 toward Gilead and found myself plowing trees off the road. It then dawned on me “downed wires” maybe. I tried to remember all those things about live wires in contact with a vehicle and don’t touch anything metal in the cab.

I was so relieved when the sun came up so that I could finally see what I was plowing.

Pat and Bill Kiley, New Gloucester

The first night of the ice storm, the Amvet Post No. 6 in New Gloucester offered a light supper to those without power. Little did we expect that the Amvet Hall would turn into an overnight shelter for several nights, and serve hundreds of meals over the next 14 days to area residents who were still without power. The overnight guests ranged in age from 2 years, to a couple in their 80s.

One of the guests had a medical condition that required the use of a breathing machine while sleeping. We stayed that first night in order to keep the generator running. Since this was an unplanned stay, we slept on the dinning tables. Soon thereafter, sleeping cots and blankets were donated when word spread that this had become an overnight shelter. The National Guard loaned us a larger generator to keep up with the demand of the shelter, and other Amvet members then took turns spending the night to keep the generators running.

The Ladies Auxiliary of Post No. 6 took turns manning the kitchen. The residents of New Gloucester brought in food from their freezers for us to use, and Bates College donated large thermoses of soup each day. In addition to the many meals we served, a group of New Gloucester residents delivered meals to those who were unable to get to the post hall.

While it was a long two weeks that none of us will ever forget, we would do it all again if needed.

Amanda Gray, North Monmouth

My husband, Calvin and our children, Jessica and Derick (then 9 and 7), fared out pretty well during the ice storm. We live in North Monmouth and were without power at home for 14 days. We had a wood stove and kept it cranking all the time. We also had a gas grill and Coleman cook stove. For water we had a dug well, so we were able to take the cover off, drop a bucket down on a rope and pull up water. We would heat water on wood stove to wash and cook with. We would cook s’mores in the wood stove. The kids thought we were camping.

During the daytime they would put skates on and skate on the lawn area. We had a small generator for home but only used it part-time as we shared it with some of the neighbors to help them keep their freezers and fridges running.

My husband kept pretty busy as we owned Gray’s Pit Stop in Monmouth at the time. He was able to purchase a huge generator, but not the correct plug-in to operate it fully. He did get it so that we were able to keep the store going at a minimum for the customers to at least be able to get gas, brewed coffee and necessary items.

After 10 days he was able to finally get the proper hook-ups for the generator and the next day the power was restored at the store location.

All in all, for us it wasn’t too bad.

Madeleine Marquis, Waterbury, Conn.

How could we ever forget our trip from Connecticut to Lewiston during the 1998 Ice Storm? We were going because our mother, Delia, had died. The roads were fine until we got near Lewiston.

Getting to Meader Street that night was impossible, so we turned into the Motel 6 parking lot and found a few rooms available there. Many Lewiston residents were registered there due to the storm.

There was a long line at Dunkin Donuts. D’Angelo’s ran out of bread, so two of our daughters went to Shaw’s and found some there, returned to D’Angelo’s, where cooks filled up the buns so we could have something to eat.

Four members of the family had to travel back to a Portland hotel. It was the closest with an available room. One son spent part of the night defrosting the windshields of our cars so we could use the cars in the morning to go to Pinette’s for the funeral. Because St. Peter’s had no electricity, the Mass was changed to St. Patrick’s Chapel.

After Mass, everyone from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Biddeford went to Pinette’s to change and enjoy the coffee they had ready for us. Then we all headed back home. The first car that left kept calling to tell us where the slippery spots were.

Eighteen of us spent less than 24 hours in Maine. It was one day that none of us will ever forget.

Katie Clark, West Linn, Okla.

My twin boys, Aidan and Noah Clark, are 10 years old. They were born a month premature at Maine Medical Center on Jan. 2, 1998. They were both small, about 5 pounds each. After two days in the hospital, we went home to our little log cabin in the Gorham woods. Naturally, there was little sleep to be had with the continual feedings of the boys and we were quite exhausted with our new parental responsibility, our two large dogs and our rotten diabetic cat. We were more than a little anxious – and then the ice storm hit.

At first, the storm didn’t seem like anything extraordinary; slick roads, tree limbs falling, skating across our backyard to walk the dogs, the usual Maine fare. Then, the power lines went down. The lights went out, so we lit candles and used flashlights. We sat in the minivan with the engine running and listened to the radio for weather updates.We had no water, as our well was powered by electricity. The cabin had electric heat, supplemented by a wood stove, so we continually fed that little stove to keep our newborn boys warm.

After a day, or maybe two, my mother convinced us to move the family, dogs and all, to her home in Portland where she still had power and we could be safer.

As we made our way to Mom’s house, it was eerily quiet. The rural roads crackled as we drove our loaded minivan down Dow Road and onto Route 25. We finally arrived in Portland and, within hours, my mom’s house in the Stroudwater area lost power. We had the twins nestled in one of the guest rooms upstairs, but without heat it got very cold.

My brother-in-law David set up a kerosene heater in the guest room. Soon, I became paranoid that the kerosene fumes would hurt my babies’ premature lungs. My compassionate sister Jane, who lived on the “hospital grid” in Portland, still had power and insisted we go to her home. So again, we packed up the babies, but this time left the 135-pound Rotweiller and 65-pound chocolate Lab with my mom to feed and water.

After arriving at my sister’s, my husband, Marty, and I went into one of the bedrooms with the boys and I don’t think we came out of that bedroom for 24 hours straight. We just wanted to feel safe and stable. The boys weren’t nursing well and were losing weight. It was scary enough to be new parents of preemie twins, but all the stress had taken its toll on the babies.

Now I don’t remember if Jane lost power or not, but we then moved to the Embassy Suites Hotel by the Airport. My mom, using her negotiating skills, got us a room. Vacancies were scarce to say the least! The Embassy Suites was like a castle: a warm room, a big bed, place to set up the portable crib, a television, a radio, a phone and ROOM SERVICE! I had not been eating well and was so stressed out that I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight (I had put on 43 pounds during the pregnancy!) and was ravenous.

We ordered prime rib and baked potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner; it was the best food I ever tasted. We became friendly with the hotel staff as the twins were mini-celebrities and our plight, or rather flight, to find warmth and safety for our boys was endearing to many.

Now, just when we thought things were going to get better, my baby Noah became limp. He was barely moving – breathing – but certainly not healthy. We packed up the babies in the minivan and rushed back to Maine Medical Center. Noah was admitted for dehydration and malnutrition, essentially failure to thrive. Apparently, his “suck reflex” was not good and he was not getting enough breast milk. He was admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, was initially put in a breathing tent and had great big IVs in his teeny, tiny, THIN arms.

I couldn’t believe this was all happening. We needed to get Aidan, the other twin, back to the quiet stability of the hotel, so my husband drove off again in the minivan down the skating ring formerly known as Congress Street and I stayed with Noah at the hospital.

For the next three days my wonderful mother, my husband and I took turns traveling like nomads; from the hospital, tending to Noah as he gained strength and weight, to the hotel with Aidan, giving him the proper time, love and attention he needed, and to the bed, getting some much-needed sleep to keep our energy up.

At last, Noah was discharged from the hospital and we were able to go to our new “home” the Embassy Suites, with the entire family. We returned to that wonderful hotel room and ordered prime rib, again.

To this day, I still carry the key from The Embassy Suites Hotel in my wallet as a memory of my boys’ initiation into this world and the “Ice Storm of 1998.”