Ice storm '98: The electricity industry's great challenge

The biggest and most costly natural disaster to hit Canada in over a century, the ice storms of 1998, that transformed Eastern Canada into a virtual glacier, was discussed. Trees, wires, poles, transmission towers, transformers succumbed to the immense weight of the ice, countless transmission and distribution lines were destroyed, leaving millions in the dark and cold, many for several weeks. The unprecedented show of solidarity within the electricity industry, as hundreds of crews from utilities across Canada and the U.S., the many thousands of private individuals and some 16,000 members of the Canadian Forces that came to the assistance of those in the affected areas, working 16-hour days, braving falling trees and sub-zero temperatures, was truly astonishing, and clearly the stuff of which legends are made. The storm has humbled Canadian public authorities and especially the Canadian electricity industry. Besides honoring those that weathered the storm, and paying tribute to the utilities and private companies that reached out to assist in the relief efforts, this review also discusses the need for government agencies and utility companies to review their emergency preparedness plans. The objective is to improve them by incorporating the most important lessons learned from this experience, in an effort to forestall their future recurrence. It is generally accepted that the Ice Storm of '98 was a unique natural disaster that no amount of planning could have foreseen, much less prevented. Nevertheless, by examining the lessons learned, it might be possible to reduce the severity should a similar disaster occur again