Northeast Ice Storm Knocks Out Power for 1.25M

An ice storm to compare with some of the Northeast's worst made a mess of the region today, leaving 1.25 million homes and businesses in seven states without power as it forced schools to close and toppled ice-laden trees and power lines onto slippery roads. More than half of New Hampshire's homes and businesses lost power, and it was expected to take several days to completely restore electricity there and in other states.

The storm wreaked havoc from Maine to Pennsylvania, leaving a sparkling, ice-covered landscape that was too destructive for many to find beautiful. "This is pathetic," said Bob Cott of Portland, Maine, who lost power. "I'm already sick of winter and we have nine days to go before it officially begins." At least one death was related to the storm, the AP reports. (More storm stories.)