The Ice Storm 2025

Winter this year in Northern Michigan has been very tough. Record snowfalls grounded me from working for many days. After two broken shovels and a wrenched back I welcomed the thought of spring. I was looking forward to exchanging the shovel for a rake. Neither of those two objects would have been any help during the ice storm.

My mother was full of sayings but the one that comes to mind right now is not so ordinary. The phrase, "In like lion and out like a lamb. In like a lamb and out like a lion." March 31st, went out like a Lion. As I navigate through my day to day activities, I hear everyone saying this phrase but with a WTF on the tips of their tongues. What is clear, this was no ordinary ice storm.

The ice storm of 2025, was something no one had ever experienced. The Newspaper reported that it was the worst ice storm in 100 years. I smiled as I thought, "Even my mother hadn't seen an ice storm like this one." Yet, I wonder. I wonder because "things" happened as the days ticked by. One thing I am proud of is the fact that I belong to two amazing communities. My Native American community and the Northern Michigan Community.

I would like to share my tale of the 2025 ice storm in Northern Michigan, specifically Petoskey Michigan. This is one perspective. One experience. As a DoorDasher, I have heard many tales from Business owners and community members. Customers are coming back online as their electricity and disaster clean ups are bringing people together. Their tales are theirs to share but here is my account of the infamous ice storm of Northern Michigan.

March 30th, the buzz of a huge ice storm rang from dasher to dasher and store to dasher. Everyone's eye was on their phone preparing to buckle down for the incoming storm. My son and I decided to dash together because we knew we would be losing wages for a few days. So, he and I pressed on into darkness. We were together so I felt safe enough to work until the weather arrived.

My son and I picked up our order and the manager was rushing his people to close. Burger King was closing and sending their people home as soon as possible. This action of the restaurant put me into a high alert state and I excited the building. As we drove, lightning began to flash, thunder rumbled, and the large gumball sized rain drops hit the windshield and the edges crystalized instantly. We pulled into the customer's driveway as the hail began to pound. It was clear we needed to make this delivery and get home.

We received the message from the customer saying, "Wait for it to calm down!" I sent a message back and said, "I am making a run for it. If we don't leave for home now, my son might not make it home." With food in arms, I ran through the hail and rain to find him at the door. The handoff went quickly but by the time I returned to the car, I was drenched and shivering. As we prepared to leave, he added an additional tip and sent a message, "Be Safe."

Goldie, my car, has the worst tires ever. One snowflake and she throws a fit. She wasn't happy slipping down the hills and to my home in the valley. My son did well and got me and himself home safely. I told him that Goldie goes no where until this all ends. I watched him drive away with Goldie's tires slip sliding on the the hail and ice.

I waited for my son's text to arrive to inform me he was home. Minutes stretched into hours. Phone systems were being taxed with people communicating with their phones. Finally, amidst the storm, his message made it through and I knew he was safe for the moment.

Through the darkness I sat alone up in my living space listening the the storm rage around me. I had lived in southern Michigan for many years. Ice storms were common so I wasn't too worried about what was to come. However, what I was listening to outside wasn't like the storms I knew from before.

Have you ever ran your fingers across a string of glass beads? They tinkle as the hit up against each other, that was the wind chimes of the storm. As I sat that night listening to the ice tinkling against each other. It is such a beautiful sound until a great crescendo of perfectly placed tinks were interrupted by a large crack and a shower of tinkles followed as limbs crashed to the ground. A sound I will never forget.

That next morning, I opened my windows to a mixture of awe and moments of grief. My family has roots here since the Treaty of 1836. The trees were planted by my ancestors and one builds attachments to trees. As I looked our the windows, I had my moments of awe and grief. The ice was so beautifully lacing the limbs and one couldn't help but admire the art.

Admiring the art. This part is, well, spiritual to me. I saw my mailbox had fallen open so I was going to knock off the ice while it was thin. As I approached the end of the driveway, I paused as the wind brushed the words, "Danger" through the tinkling ice. I stopped in my tracks. I heard the words again. I am no fool, I turned and retreated as I was told. I made it to my door and turned to look back as a frightened child would. This is when I noticed my deer were heading down the hill.

Native Americans have totem animals and one of mine is the whitetail deer. Even though I am not supposed to, I feed a family of six treats of carrots and apples. They were so beautiful gracefully passing through the ice laced tree. One slipped and her body hit a tree. The chain of exploding ice fell around the beasts. They ran down to the valley causing destruction as they ran to a treeless area. I watched tree tops sway and snap all around my deer. They ran except one, the lead deer.

One deer stood between his flock and a force we didn't understand. We, that deer and I became a we. I saw with my eyes one thing, and my mind saw what the deer was emitting. I couldn't move. I was frozen like that deer. We paused. Turned to face the danger and planted ourself firmly into place. What was clear, we were not backing down. We stood there holding the line. Separate beings, standing together in spirit. When the last tree settled, is when the feeling stopped. My deer and I looked at each other then my deer ran to the treeless valley as the storm raged on.

My son-in-law rang me moments later notifying me that my daughter lost electricity. Quick plans were made to come to my house and weather out the storm. Then the second wave of the storm began knocking down radio station towers, phone towers and the main electrical grid in Gaylord Michigan blew sending thousands of people without electricity. No calls could be sent or received. My babies were on the road as all communication lines and my electricity went out. All I could do is pray as I waited for my family to arrive.

Three homes without electricity and three families needed help. My daughter arrived safely and decided to stay and weather it out with me. My son chose to stay at his home for the time being. I didn't mind that because I was going to get special Grandma time. I was okay with the situation at hand. I knew everyone was safe, and for the time being, warm.

I love my mother. In times like this, I think, "What did mom do in times like this?" Now, my mother would turn a situation like this into fun times. To keep us warm, she would hang blankets over the doors to keep the warmth in one area. With pleading motherly eyes, I was able to get stretch Armstrong son-in-law to hang those blankets with ease before going to bed. For the first time in a long time, I became joyful like my mother.

Indoor winter camping began. Caffeinated adults had to happen so the percolator was resurrected. It wasn't long before breakfast was cooking on the stove. Mom use to start baking so the oven would keep us warm. My new oven has an electric dial so I couldn't bake like she did. The baking helped to keep the house warmer too. I had no way to start the oven. So, now what?

Adults scurried to gather cushions and blankets and began to entertain the young. I was totally amazed at how addicted to technology my grandbabies are. Their interest in the toys died quickly then the begging for useless phones and tablets began. There wasn't any reception at all and they didn't understand that we weren't trying to be mean to them. However, with my daughter's help, we saved us a few hours of our sanity.

March 31st, 2pm: The clicking of ice hit the window panes and my worry gained weight. We were warm enough for time being but for how long? We needed to distract the babies so we could get to work. With a smirk, I came up with an idea and went old school. My Laptop still has a CD player. I still am the proud owner of Disney Movies on CD and some VHS tapes. We found our solution and put together a few hours of entertainment. With the babies watching Mary Poppins, my daughter and I went to work preparing for the night.

Camping skills has been practiced through our lives. We have the tools to make candles and the lanterns to burn those candles safely. We have warming pans for our feet and we resurrected our warming stones and began heating them in cast iron pots on the stove. My daughter and I prepared to lock our babies down for the night by laying cushions down and covering them with blankets. With the warming pans in place, we bunkered in for our somewhat cold sleep at 9:30 pm.

April 1, 2AM in the morning and my daughter is notified that they have electricity back. In Petoskey, we did not. We stayed put until my son-in-law came in the morning and whisked the babies away to warmth and safety. Once they were home safe, I could check in with my no contact son.

No phones. Now what? I would be asking for my death if I went out in the wreckage. Electrical lines were down everywhere. I had no choice but to stay put and make plans for the evening. Then, Goldie pulled into the driveway. My son and his girl was safe and came to me as soon as they could. They told me of their drive and all they had seen. Sadness set in but we had to survive for days, some were saying weeks. So many uncertain times we were facing.

I am proud to me a Native American in this area. We are a part of our community. Yes, we have a casino, but our Nation does a lot to help our community. This was the moment when our Nation rose and set up a warming center at the Odawa Casino. Charging stations and food was brought in for those without power. People gathered together and waited for help to arrive. What was clear, we were all in this together.

What was also clear was the fact that we were going to lose all of our meats. Sure enough my venison and turkey were thawing. I pulled them out and let them thaw faster so I could make soup. I love cast iron cooking. That turkey breast was hard to tend, but the meal we had before making the soup was so delectable. The venison Chili was right on point and just the right spice to warm the belly. With two pots of soup and plastic bowls and silverware, we went lineman shopping. We weren't going to let that food go to waste and there wasn't any restaurants open for them to get food. So, off we went to warm up the line men.

Ladies and gentlemen, the conditions in which these men were working was brutal. The wind was so sharp and bit the nose with every breath you took. By the time I would serve up a bowl there was ice on my scarf and I was extremely cold. I couldn't imagine what it was like for them. They were out there grinding up limbs covered with ice and linemen's bucket's swaying in the wind and the men held on through the gust of air. When we pulled up they were so happy for the meal. My loss of meat was worth all the smiles and warm bellies I left behind.

With pots empty, we journeyed to the Casino to warm up and charge our phones. One is never prepared to view the numbers of people gathered together in such need. The walls were lined with people sitting and surrendering to their reality. Numb, distant and uncertain faces brewed in bubbles created by our current hell. Each and every one of us had no answers to when this nightmare was to stop. One thing that was clear, the Odawa Casino, my people, had the community's back.

One story I wish to tell, is one of Devotion. Three sons. Ranging from late 40's to Mid-60's. Their devotion to their father was so wonderful to watch. When my son and I arrived at the casino, a truck pulled up to the casino doors with a recliner. Odd, I thought but went in and left them to their chore. Moments later, the three guys came in with the chair and their father. In a cart behind them was a casino employee pushing a cart with his medical equipment. The son's worked together to set up the area in which their father would need. They even brought cards and things for him to do. That man was a king. The devotion those boys gave to their dad spoke of his accolades to me. They served him with no apparent animosity just devotion.

My son and I stayed at the warming center just taking in the environment. Assessment of the establishment was impressive. Food donations were coming in from local restaurants and people were being fed. Children were playing with each other while friends and neighbors were relived to see each other were safe. People nestled into sleeping spots and the needs kept us longer than anticipated. We needed to get back to the house and sleep. As we left the warming center, we cheered as freights of lineman trucks drive past us to turn to fill parking lots of the stores.

As darkness crept in the temperature in the house fell drastically while we were gone. The night air was near fifty degrees at 7 pm and would drop to near freezing by morning. If we kept the house warm through the day we might have been okay but the house itself had lost too much heat. No matter how hard we worked to heat the kitchen, we couldn't make headway. I chose to buckle down under blankets and try to rest. Have you ever been so cold that you cover your head but leave and air hole at the tip of your nose so you can breathe? My body was warm enough but my nose was too cold. I would warm it up, fall asleep and wake when it got cold again. The temperature in the house kept dropping and there was nothing I could do.

April 2, 1:30am- With a Start, I woke with the word "Heater" ringing in my head. My mother was a bit eccentric, she wanted something she got it. She had this odd heater installed in her bedroom. The event was so stern I sat straight up.

I yelled for my son who went to investigate to see if he could get the pilot to light in that gas heater. With a turn of the nob, and a push of the push button ignition the heater ignited. Warmth spewed out and dust began to burn on its coils. After a quick "air in the can" cleaner, we were relieved to have heat in this one little room. Mom's heater came to save our lives. Did mom wake me up yelling at me? The way I felt, yes, I felt like I did when mom yelled when she wanted my attention. Well, she got it and she saved our lives.

The migration from the kitchen to the office went quickly and we rested. How much rest can one get on the couch cushions on the floor? I tossed and turned as I felt my back strain under the sleeping conditions. Eventually I sat up and found my phone. With a quick flick at 5:15 AM, I saw that my phone had reception. There was reception! Then I heard the most beautiful sound ever. The printer kicked on and lights started flashing. My small world began to come alive again.

Parts of Petoskey began to light up. I know I celebrated by turning on the lights and brewing a fresh pot of coffee. I even took a shower in bliss. This was the most delusional moment I have ever spent. Just because I had electricity and heat didn't mean everyone had power. Not everyone was celebrating like me. Yet, what I was celebrating was worth celebrating. I had electricity and that was worth celebrating.

Northern Michigan wasn't out of danger. Storm two was lurking around the corner. With spoiled food in the fridge, my son and I chose to go to the casino for breakfast. After updates from our friends who was serving food I found that there was only a small section of the town had their electricity restored. On the corner of my street is one of the main power stations for the town. Because it was the first restored, meant I had service first. But, for how long? Would the repairs hold up with the second storm coming?

As I walked toward the big bay windows, I froze. Lightning flashed and snow began to blanket the ground. Everyone stood still as we watched the weather take a turn for the worst. We were expecting 6-11 inches of snow on top of the ice. We had no idea what blow we had coming. The silence was so eerie. I fell into a peaceful trance like state as I watched how beautiful the whole scene looked. Fear, I froze in fear as I watched the deadly storm bare down on Petoskey.

I am not certain what brought me back to earth. I think someone was calling my name. Wait! Another Chingwa was calling my name. She was making the most impressive beaded leggings. She talked about her work. Asked me about mine. Little by little others came back to earth and began to socialize.

Cards and conversation shrouded our eyes from the raging storm. As quick as it came is as quick as it left. With a sigh, the clouds scurried away leaving only three to five inches of blowing snow. Travel was very treacherous but many chose to drive home to see if they had electricity. Some returned disappointed and some were able to stay home. Those who came back brought back stories of worsening road condition.

There was one return I celebrated. The boys returned and packed up their father. Their spirits were so jovial one couldn't help but celebrate with them. Casino staff brought carts to assist with chair transport. With a brief check of their area, the youngest son waved goodbye as he walked by. I was happy for them that they wouldn't have to stay another night at the shelter. Everyone celebrated with them as they left the Ovation Hall.

I left the Ovation hall feeling guilty that I was returning to a warm home with electricity. I didn't have cable and I was okay with that. I needed sleep. I needed my CPAP. I needed my bed. Guilt, no guilt, I had to take care of me and go home.

The next morning I woke to our DoorDasher group stating that restaurants and Meijer's were opening up. We formed a troop of dashers to get people food. Red Card People shopped and delivered groceries then returned to Meijer's store for the next families food. I don't do grocery shopping so I stayed near the fast food deliveries. Our group was ready and set the plans to run. We all drove to our stations Meijer's and many near other open establishments we gave the thumbs up and we began. At 9:00 we all logged in at the same time and many kept running after dark. So many people needed to be fed and the restaurants were bagging up orders and serving people as quick as they could.

April 4th, my Son I delivered non-stop for 10 hours. I drove because of my back and he ran the food. The roads were passible but not cleared. We had to navigate around branches but considering what we witnessed when delivering meals to the men, the road in town were passible. Unfortunately, Goldie sustained a wound when a branch fell from a truck and pierced her bumper. Her lip piercing just didn't fit her so I pulled out the inch and a half limb from her. The good thing was, the damage was small and nothing to worry about. We were exhausted by the time we returned to our homes. It is clear, my body is not made for 10 hours of driving.

April 5th, my back grounded any of my efforts to help. So, I had to find my cousins. My family's phones were silenced for days like mine. With phone service working again, I was finally able to see where they were. I could see that they were being taken care of at the Community Center on the Rez so off I went. I didn't know what help I could be but I could sit and peel potatoes. Help is Help. Stupid back.

Wonder Woman I am not. One questions why? Why in heavens sake did my back have to go when people could use my service, I do not know. All I could do was visit. I was there to see the conditions in which they were surviving with no electricity and not heat. Perhaps I had to see the neglect. Perhaps I had to see the community pull together. I guess I am a woman full of wonder.

Two small generators chugged away providing what comforts they could give. Resilience was splashed all over the faces of those working. New comers enjoyed a meal or a snack. Donation food was brought in with water and families could come and get much needed supplies. The elder's taught the young how to prepare large meals on what ever they could find. The elders were raised by Depression Era parents so they knew how to save the masses on very little. Proud of my community even though, those on the Rez suffered more than the greater society. Simply put, the generators were not enough.

Day 7: My son and I went out to visit the elder's again. A large generator was brought in from the Natural Resource Department (NRD) and food and cots were brought in from the Grand Traverse Band of Odawa Indians. On my way back to the reservation, I saw orange flags hanging on the wires near the reservation. The room was a buzz with excitement. The question was when would the electricity come on. The sun was setting and the elder's would have to trust the new generator another night.

Day 8: My phone began to chime. My cousin's post on Facebook stated the electricity was on! As their houses warmed they cleaned the Community Center. Before the Chiropractor appointment, I stopped in to see everyone a buzz. Young and old were cleaning vigorously. Instantly I smiled at their jokes and jumped when an elder commanded attention. I wish I could have stayed but the appointment reminder sounded on my phone and I left my family and friends.

Here it is on day 25 and I am thinking back on the past days with a blur. The mess with the Government, the Ice Storm, and monitoring the organization and helping others live LIFE by delivering things they need just overwhelms my mind. Lowes and Home Depot can go to, "H, E, double toothpicks!" Base pay is all a dasher gets for delivering either companies goods. Twenty boxes of flooring, delivered out of zone. Load and unload, carry the boxes into the house for EIGHT lousy dollars. At a time when people needed supplies, those willing to give help was screwed over. I was so angry that I drove by piles and piles of wood and all the wreckage lining the roads in a raging blur.

Day 26th, I finally had the opportunity to watch the news. New Jersey fires are waging war on the area. Houses burning will cause homelessness. That natural disaster will be devastating. Petoskey people didn't lose homes. The displacement of all those affected by the fire will have a huge impact. Where are they all gonna go? For the most, people have electricity and are cleaning up the fallen debris. We only lost trees not homes. I feel so sorry for those affected by the fire. Natural disaster survivor. I will pray for those on the news.