There was very little Halloween trick-or-treating 10 years ago when what was supposed to be just another chilly fall evening evolved into one of the region’s worst storms in decades.

Saturday, November 03, 2001

There was very little Halloween trick-or-treating 10 years ago when what was supposed to be just another chilly fall evening evolved into one of the region’s worst storms in decades.

Halloween 1991 happened to take place on Thursday that year. Area youngsters were preparing to put on their costumes so they could go door-to-door to collect candy and other goodies. However, a light rain started to fall in the late afternoon. This, combined with a temperature just below the freezing point on thermometers, resulted in an icy glaze on streets, sidewalks, and especially trees and utility lines. Many of the youngsters stayed indoors that Halloween a decade ago.

Later that evening the rain increased, the temperature dropped a few more degrees, and the icy coating thickened. During the night the freezing rain caused tree limbs to break off and fall, power lines to sag, and utility poles to also sag and even snap off at ground level. The build-up of icy surfaces created extremely dangerous driving conditions. Adding to the miserable weather conditions was a sometimes intense wind.

By Friday morning, electrical power to various neighborhoods of the city, plus the outlying communities and rural residents, was disrupted. There was no school that day and cancellations galore were being announced on Radio Stations KATE and KRGR (now KCPI-FM).

All of a sudden, the electrical service just taken for granted became a vital missing factor in daily life. Natural gas service was never disrupted by the Halloween storm. Yet, it takes electricity to operate the furnace fans which distribute the heat throughout the homes and businesses. Without electricity, there could be no television, radio, or even lights to counteract the chilly darkness. Without electricity, cash registers, computers, restaurant equipment, and so many other modern convenience items just couldn’t operate.

All of a sudden, battery-operated radios, fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, kerosene heaters and lanterns, candles, and extra blankets on the beds became valued substitutes.

For many area citizens with memories of the past, this new storm system was being compared with the Armistice Day Blizzard of Nov. 11, 1940, and the days that followed which resulted in 59 deaths in Minnesota.

By Saturday, Nov. 2, about the only portion of the city which still had electrical power was the area along North Bridge Avenue north of the Freeborn County Fairgrounds. Thus, the Hy-Vee Store, Northbridge Mall, and Hardee’s (now the Dairy Queen location) became havens for people seeking heat, food supplies, and even a warm place to eat.

Travel conditions on the area freeways and roads became impossible. All the local motels were filled to capacity. The East Side Truck Stop became jammed with vehicles in the parking lot and nearby streets, and drivers and travelers in the cafe and station.

For some elderly citizens with health problems and many travelers the logical refuge with heat and a place to sleep was Northbridge Mall. Under the leadership of the Freeborn County Unit of the American Red Cross, the mall accommodated 208 people on Friday night, and an additional hundred more people on Saturday night. With the support of several grocery stores and restaurants, the Red Cross served 850 meals at this location during the weekend.

Among the travelers spending an unscheduled weekend at the mall were two bus loads of senior citizens who were returning to Amery, Wis., after visiting Branson, Mo.

There were several places within the city which had standby electrical generators. These included Naeve Hospital and the Law Enforcement Center.

Without electrical power, the water supply in Albert Lea and other area communities became a vital concern. It took electricity to operate the pumps which moved the water from the wells up to the elevated tanks. Luckily, no major fires occurred during this ice storm or the week that followed.

For Interstate Power Co. and Freeborn-Mower Electric Cooperative, this storm presented a real challenge. To restore electric service to their customers, they had to literally rebuild their distribution systems with new utility poles. Both firms brought in extra line crews from other parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.

By Sunday, Nov. 3, the temperature dropped to nearly zero. That morning, according to a long list printed in the Tribune and announced on the radio stations, most churches in Freeborn County canceled services, Sunday Schools and other activities.

Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson came to Albert Lea and Austin Sunday morning to inspect storm damages and recovery efforts. The governor also authorized the use of National Guard troops and equipment such as portable electric generators. The generators were useful for pumping water up into the tower tanks, supplying electricity so farmers could use the machines to milk their cows, and providing water for livestock.

Interstate Power Co. reported that at the lowest point 15,000 of its customers in Albert Lea were without electricity. By Sunday this number had been reduced to 5,000. And by Monday morning, Nov. 4, electric service had been restored to nearly all the customers within Albert Lea.

However, restoring electric service to the outlying communities and rural residents was to take a little longer. By Wednesday, Nov. 6, Interstate Power Co and Freeborn-Mower Electric Cooperative reported that 4,200 customers were still powerless.

On the following day, just a week after Halloween, the Glenville and Myrtle areas of Freeborn County, and Sargeant and Taopi in Mower County were still waiting for electric service to be restored. Freeborn-Mower crews were still working to reconnect 2,000 customers. Interstate Power was working to restore electricity to a hundred rural customers.

A pertinent summary of what was involved with this wild introduction to winter weather was in an editorial in the Nov. 3, 1991, issue of the Tribune:

&uot;Thanksgiving came on Halloween this year. We have much to be thankful for after this paralyzing ice storm.

&uot;First, we can be grateful the storm wasn’t as deadly as it could have been. With treacherous roads and no power throughout the county, it’s amazing that we know of no one killed in Freeborn County as a direct result of the storm.