Lasting Impact of March Ice Storm “A Lot to Recover From”

At a glance: 3,600 miles of power line wire needed in Gaylord, nearly $5M in business losses estimated in the Tip of the Mitt, and 1 million acres of forest damaged

When the latest storm of the century ripped through northern Michigan, it was a given that some people would lose power. What no one expected was the fury and breadth of the storm, nor its longevity. Thousands lost power for days, even weeks, with a state of emergency declared across the region.

Allan Berg, CEO of Presque Isle Electric & Gas, says at the height of the outage, less than one percent of the customers in the affected area still had electricity. Not only did falling trees take down power lines and poles, but substations were also destroyed, meaning there was no power coming into the area. And before any of those situations could be addressed, the roads had to be cleared, leading to a wait for some people of two, even three weeks to get their power restored.

“There was no radio or cell service, roads were impassable, there was no gasoline within 60 miles,” says Berg. “The first challenge was to get the power flowing. That took quite a few days.”

“The first 72 hours was absolute chaos. You had to drive 60 miles for gas for generators,” echoes Nikki Devitt, President and CEO of the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Like a Category 1 Hurricane

The largest ice storm to impact northern Michigan in over 100 years cut a swath across the northernmost part of the lower peninsula. From Petoskey and Harbor Springs in the west across the state to Alpena, trees snapped like matchsticks under the weight of the ice.

In turn, the trees took out power lines and poles while wreaking havoc on cars, homes, and anything else in their way. “Trees were the enemy,” says Berg.

Berg says despite preparation for the storm, the destruction it left in its wake was beyond their worst fears. “We had plans and were ready to go, but it came in and the ice stayed for three days. Trees continued to [fall]—we’d put up a line, the tree takes it again,” he says. “The entire distribution net was broken,” including 29 substations.

“It was like a category 1 hurricane that sat for three days,” he continues. “We realized we never worried about the roads becoming impassable.” Both he and Devit say they heard over and over from the outside power restoration crews that wherever they were from, they had never seen anything like this storm.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in 10 counties: Otsego, Oscoda, Montmorency, Presque Isle, Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Mackinac, and Alpena. Almost miraculously, there were no deaths attributed to the storm in this region, but three children tragically lost their lives when a tree fell on their vehicle in Kalamazoo County.

Today the power is back on for everyone, but the wreckage from the millions of downed trees, and what they crushed, remains and likely will for a while, according to Jon Deming. The head of Otsego’s County’s Emergency Services says homeowners are largely left on their own.

“We can’t [clean up] private citizens’ [property],” he says. “It’s mind-boggling, the amount of vegetation to be removed. There’s no insurance that can take care of all this.”

The Damage Is Done

The storm toppled trees that had stood for 50, 60 years, even a century. The devastation extended beyond those that were downed, ripping the tops off or shredding others. All told, millions of trees were destroyed, dealing a huge blow to the state’s forest industry. Michigan’s forest products industry contributed $26.5 billion to the state’s economy, according to a 2022 report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the most recent figures available.

The estimated loss and damage to the state’s maple syrup industry is north of $3 million, as trees and infrastructure were destroyed in the midst of harvest season. A GoFundMe fundraiser cites two examples: Maple Moon Sugarbush and Winery faces losses of $280,000 in lost syrup over the next two years, with $250,000 needed to clean up and rebuild the infrastructure. Harwood Gold, which relies on pumps to carry sap from the woods to the sugarhouse, was forced to abandon production for the season. Both lost acres of trees, and they are only two of many.

Approximately one million acres of forest were affected, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Forest Resources Division. “There’s a lot of sticks,” says Deming, referring to the remains of trees left without any branches.

Devitt calls the financial losses “staggering” from an early survey of businesses. “The numbers right now with about 200 responses is $4.9 million,” she says. The survey, done through Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, includes loss of revenue, loss of product, and building damage.

Devitt says about 80 percent of the responses came from Emmet County businesses, and included the following: only 9.4 percent of respondents did NOT close due to the storm; 74 percent were without power for more than four days; and 56 percent experienced payroll challenges.

Working Together

Over 1,500 workers from across the country assisted in the massive project to restore electricity, almost four times the number of Great Lakes Energy and Presque Isle employees.

GLE established what it called a “Storm Camp” at the Otsego County Fairgrounds for workers who assisted the energy companies. It provided housing, food, and laundry facilities for 1,100 contractors. Together they replaced over 2,500 poles, triple the average for an entire year. Berg says Presque Isle alone had to replace 3,600 miles of wire.

While the storm is over, the damage is ongoing. Deming says he brought in a forester to assess the damage and provide advice for how to deal with it. He said those trees which survived but were damaged are now more susceptible to disease, insects, or other challenges.

Foresters across the region are busy assessing the damage and helping clean up the debris. Ben Veling from Timberwolf Tree Care, which serves the Tip of the Mitt area, believes the forests will regenerate given enough time. “I would point out the public has been given a fair amount of information that causes unwarranted panic,” he says. “Trees have the ability to recover.”

What’s Next?

Have there been any lessons learned to mitigate possible subsequent once-in-a-generation storms?

This isn’t the first natural disaster to hit the area, but it’s one of the most widespread. And in the wake of previous challenges over the past few years, Demming says the region’s resilience is being tested like never before. “COVID, the tornado, now this. It’s a lot to recover from.”

Berg says one lesson the various communities continue to learn is the necessity for everyone to come together, and he saw that happening firsthand. “Line workers, volunteers, 911, sheriff and police, they were all a part of this.”

DeVitt agrees, praising the generosity of businesses and neighbors helping neighbors. “Businesses had grills under a tent out in the street,” she says. “It was fascinating to watch the community come together.”

As to what’s next, DeVitt says things are only getting started, as businesses and residents hope for financial assistance from the government while working to clear the debris. “The governor’s emergency declaration was one of the first pieces for FEMA funding. Assessments have started. Tree service companies are working around the clock,” she says, noting that the debris must be cleared up for safety, to address environmental concerns, and for fire prevention.

She also hopes that people who weren’t directly affected by the storm don’t forget about it in the days and weeks to come. “I hope visitors have patience and understanding. It takes a lot of support from everywhere.”

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