By Howard Schneider
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, January 10, 1998; Page A14

Emergency crews in Canada and the United States continued battling an intense rain and ice storm today that has cut power to millions of people since Monday and contributed to the deaths of as many as 20 people.

The five-day-old storm blanketed parts of northern New England, eastern Ontario, southern Quebec and Canada's maritime provinces under a two-inch coat of ice, as well as triggering floods in the southeastern United States.

Though the precipitation was expected to stop today, Canadian officials say it may be a week before power is restored fully to an estimated 900,000 homes and before roads are cleared of downed trees and debris that have made some of them impassable.

Across the border, where more than 300,000 American homes lost electricity, a spokesman for Maine Gov. Angus King said, "We're actually losing the battle."

Maine was the hardest hit of the New England states, with an estimated 275,000 homes – equal to half the state – without power. King opened shelters in 69 communities after declaring a state of emergency.

"Things are not getting better," said his spokesman, Dennis Bailey. "Instead, they're getting worse."

States of emergency also were declared in parts of Vermont and New Hampshire, where an estimated 80,000 homes were without electricity today. More rain fell in Vermont Thursday than is normal for the entire month of January, flooding all major rivers, the Associated Press reported.

About 2,800 Canadian troops were deployed to Montreal and hundreds of others to Ottawa, bolstering exhausted utility company and emergency workers. In all, more than seven inches of rain and ice have fallen on southern Quebec and Ontario since the storm began, causing an estimated $350 million in damage.

"This is the freezing-rain storm of the century, and it is taking its toll," said Bob Chiarelli, chair of the local government for the Ottawa region.

The prospect of lower temperatures over the weekend and a snowstorm predicted for Monday left power company workers uncertain when they will be able to reconnect all the lines downed this week by ice and falling trees.

"We are without control now," a Hydro-Quebec worker told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Hydro-Quebec officials, however, said that most of the repair work should be completed this weekend.

At least 15,000 people took refuge in more than 200 emergency shelters established by the Red Cross and local governments, but officials said that the shelters were reaching capacity.

Most of those affected, however, bunked with neighbors, huddled around fireplaces or made do with candles and extra blankets. Neighbors shared freezer space to preserve food, and those with electricity shared hot meals with those without power.

"We will not be in a position to respond to the entire demand for supplies," said Montreal civil security director Pierre Martel, who encouraged people not to rely on emergency shelter unless they had no other choice – and to bring their own pillows, blankets and mattresses if possible.

About 10 deaths in Canada were blamed on the storm, resulting from traffic accidents, fires and, in one case, hypothermia.

In the southeastern United States, nine people died in flooding on Wednesday and Thursday, including at least five in one Tennessee county.

Special correspondent Pamela Ferdinand in Boston contributed to this report.