The ice storm

It was a dark day in Canada in 1998 when rain began to fall from the sky.

However, this was not ordinary rain—it turned to ice as it fell through the cold air. It rained for six days, and as much as ten centimetres of ice collected on roads, trees and power lines.

On 5th January, the people of Montreal woke up to find they had no electricity in their homes. It was dark and cold. The roads were covered in ice, so it was very dangerous to walk or drive anywhere. Families had to stay inside and burn wood to keep warm. They expected the power to come back on at any time.

However, the ice kept falling. It caused branches and whole trees to fall down. More power lines fell down, and the roads became even more dangerous.

By the third day, many families had no food to eat. It was a difficult time. The army sent over 14,000 soldiers to help.

Finally, after six days, the ice storm stopped, but the trouble was not over. The huge amount of ice made the whole area very dangerous. As the ice started to melt, it fell from the roofs of buildings and trees like knives. Most of the power lines were so badly damaged that they could not be repaired.

Some families had no electricity for a whole month. Many homes were damaged and many people, especially farmers, lost their businesses. The people of Canada will never forget how terrible nature can be. Everyone hopes that there will never be another ice storm like the one in 1998.

Grammar

Using it as the empty subject