Ice
Storm 1998 was just the beginning of disasters for the Chateauguay Valley.
Global climatic fluctuations, blamed on "El Nino", wreaked havoc locally.
In
January, a freezing rain fell for several days paralyzing a corridor along
the Quebec-USA border. Trees and utility poles snapped under the weight
of the accumulated ice. Fallen electrical transmission towers left rural
regions without heat for up to 6 weeks during the coldest period of winter.
When
the lights went out and the furnace quit at home, our family sought refuge
for 11 days at the home of friends who have gas stoves. We ate well by
using up our freezer meats that would have otherwise spoiled without power,
and by cooking outdoors on the gas barbecue grill.
Neighbors
put aside political differences during the crisis and worked together in
survival mode. Many heroic and generous acts took place to provide food
and shelter as electrical workers and the Canadian Armed Forces worked
overtime to rebuild the power grid.
We
were all weary from digging out driveways with picks and shovels, draining
water pipes so they wouldn't freeze, caring for cold pets and infants and
the elderly. Yet, I forced myself to get out and photograph as much of
this historic event as possible.
