News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist, right, chats with staff from the MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena Friday. He also toured some of the damage from the ice storm last weekend that caused tens of thousands of people to lose power.

ALPENA — Not long after the power went out in Northeast Michigan from a historical ice storm last weekend, people began to flood into the emergency room at MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena, gasping and choking, trying to catch their breath.

There are many people in the area who require oxygen tanks to assist in their breathing, and when the electricity went out, the situation for them became critical and potentially deadly in some cases.

Thanks to the planning at the hospital, the patients were quickly connected to power in a separate ward of the hospital, and the situation began to stabilize. Still, some people remain without power, isolated, trapped in their homes, and dependent on oxygen, and are still at risk.

To help with a shortage of oxygen and to help people who didn’t have a way to get them filled, the state government sent an oxygen filling station trailer to Alpena to make sure the people who depend on them had the resource they so critically need.

On Friday, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist was in Alpena to tour the damage from the storm in Northeast Michigan that caused tens of thousands to lose power in entire counties.

Power is slowly being restored, but there are still thousands who are stranded in the cold waiting for the lights and heat to come back on.

Gilchrist asked hospital staff how things developed when the power went out and listened as they told him the frightening stories from the caregivers who were working before, during, and after the storm.

Jessica McEwen, director of nursing at the hospital in Alpena, said the hospital, especially the emergency room, is typically busy, but the volume of people who needed care exploded once the power went out.

As the hours and days passed, the hospital treated people who were subjected to fumes from generators and appliances that operate on propane, and now, more people are coming in for injuries caused by things like chainsaws. People also came to the hospital because of the stress the cold was taking on their bodies and for malnutrition from not eating properly.

All of those storm-related emergencies were on top of the typical ones that include people suffering from chest pains, broken bones, and other more common illnesses or injuries.

McEwen said the nursing and other medical staff were ready for the emergencies, as difficult as it may have been, and pushed the thoughts of what was developing at their own homes and families aside to care for those who needed it.

“It was really rough for the first couple days, but we train for this and we do disaster drills all the time,” she said. “The team really has no choice but to step up and do what they need to do to give the best care to a patient that they can, and they do. Everyone shines in these situations, while in the back of their mind, they have the stress at home.”

Gilchrist asked everyone what they needed from him and the state government, and he promised that any resources that are needed now or in the future would be made available. He also praised the performance of the hospital, which also has some staff conducting wellness checks on people in the area.

“This hospital and these people are critical infrastructure and they are being courageous because they may not have power of their own, but are still coming to provide these badly needed services to people who may have even more difficult circumstances,” Gilchrist said. “That unselfishness, combined with that professionalism, is incredibly inspiring.”

Gilchrist arrived in Alpena on Thursday and spent the night at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center before making the rounds around town on Friday. He said state government and local officials have communicated back and forth, and he has been updated and briefed on the progress of response and restoration efforts. Gilchrist said he had seen photos and videos of some of the aftermath of the storm, but he said the gravity and scale of the damage really hit him when he saw it in person.

“It is always different when you see things with your own eyes instead of someone else’s camera,” he said. “We saw some of the damage from the helicopter on the way in, and I’ll see more later today. What I was really taken aback by was the breadth of it. It isn’t like a tornado that has a path. This has a wide area that this impacted, and it hit everyone, everywhere, all at once. That is what was the most overwhelming.”

Gilchrist went on to thank local emergency officials and first responders, the line crews who are in the area from all over the state to help restore power, local government, the National Guard, road commissions, and everyone who is working around the clock to overcome the impact left behind from the storm.

“Everyone stepping up is really required,” Gilchrist said. “This is something we haven’t seen in this region maybe ever, but certainly in a really, really, really long time. I have been blown away and inspired by how people have stepped up. In Michigan, that is what we do. We meet the moment and this has been a Hell of a moment, but I’m really proud of how Michiganders are standing tall here.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.