Deadly ice storm bred suspicion and fear, New Brunswick report says
FREDERICTON — A review of a devastating ice storm in northeast New Brunswick says many residents were ill-prepared for an emergency — and some responded to the crisis with fear and suspicion that put them in even greater danger.
The storm in late January loaded trees and power lines with ice, snapping hundreds of power poles and leaving more than 130,000 people without power for days.
Two people died of carbon monoxide poisoning, while another 49 were hospitalized after using generators or barbecues inside homes and garages.
The report said rumours spread during the crisis that generators were being stolen, and people began using them in protected places — resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning.