News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Utility workers repair power lines in Montmorency County on Saturday. Many people in Northeast Michigan remain without electricity after a historic ice storm caused widespread power outages that began on March 28.

ALPENA — Terrified, hopeless, exhausted, thankful, and blessed.

Those are only a few of the emotions people in Northeast Michigan described experiencing during the ice storm, the long and ongoing power outage, and through the early recovery process.

Every person who was caught up in the storm and the blackout has a story to tell and memories to share from the historic weather event.

The ice storm, which left tens of thousands of people in the region without power for many days, began the night of March 28 and carried on for much of the following day.

Some areas in Northeast Michigan received up to a half-inch of ice, which brought down trees and power poles, which wiped out entire electrical systems.

Cell reception and high-speed internet service disruptions added to the hardship.

Jennifer Zylman and her two children, 7 and 10, were at home on Fowler Street in Alpena when the ice storm arrived. She still does not have power 10 days after the power went out.

She said the sounds of the trees and large branches falling near the house were one of the scariest things she has experienced.

“Some sounded like explosions and other ones made this loud, eerie scratching noise on the side of the house,” she said. “It was terrifying and I was freaking out.”

Zylman said the first few days were the most challenging, especially for her children. She said on a normal day, they would spend time alone in their rooms on their electronic devices, but because of the outage, they became bored and spat with each other. That only lasted for a couple of days, she said, and the kids found other things to do to entertain themselves.

As the power outage lingered on, Zylman said, the more it impacted her emotionally. She said doesn’t have a large support system to get help. Then, on top of everything, she learned her father was diagnosed with cancer.

“It broke me and pushed me over the edge,” she said. “I have had a few times when I have broken down crying because I feel so helpless. It has just been so hard.”

Elizabeth Kelly lives in a heavily wooded area of Moltke Township with her husband Quintin. She is five months pregnant with the couple’s first child, a girl, and during the storm, she feared for her family’s safety and her home.

“It was fear, pure fear,” Kelly said. “Even my husband, who isn’t scared of much, was a little nervous, and he got us out of there because the trees were falling everywhere. I was scared our home was going to be destroyed, and my daughter wasn’t going to have a home when she was born.”

Kelly said she and her husband hunkered down with a family who had a generator, and their power was restored on Sunday.

Doris McKnight, 78, lives with her husband and still has no power as of Monday afternoon. She said the storm wiped out her power, which ran the pumps in her home, and the basement flooded badly.

For several days, trees blocked the access road to her home, and they were forced to shelter in place with no cell reception until their son was able to walk in to check on them. She said the first few days were the most difficult because of the cold and dark, but eventually they borrowed a portable propane heater that helped mute the cold a little. After power was restored to some in the area, a friend connected a generator for them to use that is powering some of the necessities.

She said when the power went out, she figured it would be like other blackouts, where it is restored fairly quickly. She said getting updates and news was nearly impossible, but it didn’t take long for her to realize this could be a long event.

“When I looked out the window and saw all of the ice and heard the trees fall and the branches break in the distance, you just sort of knew things were bad and the damage was serious,” she said. “When our son got to us, he told us how bad things were, and there was really no gas. It was hard, but I’m sure others have it worse.”

The electrical restoration in Northeast Michigan has ramped up, and with each passing hour, more people are receiving power.

Hundreds of power crews have flowed into the area from around the state and outside of it to help reconnect everyone. The National Guard has also provided critical services and infrastructure to help the people of the area.

John Sams, who is still without power, said for all of the bad the storm did, there are also good things that came out of it, and as is typically the case, the communities impacted by the storm have banded together to fight through the dark times.

“There are a lot of people helping people,” he said. “From the looks of things, that is how it’s going to be for a while because even when there is power, there is still a lot of work to do to get back to normal.”