The Scale of What Northern Michigan Faced

The numbers from the March 2025 ice storm are staggering. Ice accumulation reached up to an inch thick, placing immense weight on trees, power lines, and structures across the region. Nearly 200,000 people lost power, with some residents going without electricity for 17 days or longer. More than 3 million acres were impacted—including nearly 919,500 acres of state forest land—and thousands of miles of roads became blocked or impassable, leaving communities like Lewiston, Atlanta, and Johannesburg cut off from the outside world (MLive, 2026).

The power grid alone required a rebuild unlike anything the region had seen: approximately 2,800 utility poles repaired or replaced, nearly 900 transformers replaced, and more than 3,800 miles of power lines restored. Crews invested over 400,000 hours of labor into recovery efforts, with total costs exceeding $150 million (Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op, 2025).

This wasn’t just a storm. It was a complete disruption of daily life across Northern Michigan.

And yet—that’s not what people here remember most.

Before the Reports, There Were People

Long before the statistics and the headlines, there was a decision.

At 10:25 that morning, as the storm was still unfolding, the doors at St. Francis were opened. No hesitation. No formal plan. Just a simple message: Come in. We have heat. We have water. You’re welcome here.

By that evening, the location had been officially recognized as an emergency shelter. But the truth is, Lewiston didn’t wait for official. It was already happening (St. Francis Catholic Church, 2025).

What followed didn’t belong to a single building, organization, or group. It belonged to the community.

There was no structured system in place. No pre-assigned roles. No step-by-step emergency plan guiding the response.

Instead, there was something far more powerful.

People showed up.

• •Teenagers arrived on the very first night, ready to help
• •Volunteers stepped into whatever role was needed
• •Neighbors who came in for warmth stayed to serve others

It wasn’t coordinated. It was instinct.

When Local Businesses Became Lifelines

In the middle of it all, local businesses in and around Lewiston didn’t just stay open—they stepped up.

• ✓The local hardware store opened its doors without power, ensuring residents still had access to tools and supplies needed to clear debris and make repairs
• ✓The Lewiston Hotel Bar and Grill welcomed community members who needed a place to shower
• ✓The local laundromat offered free laundry, restoring a sense of normalcy when routines had been completely disrupted
• ✓Talley’s became more than a restaurant—it became a hub for meals, bottled water, and essential supplies when access elsewhere was limited

And across Lewiston, many more businesses quietly found ways to help, adapting in real time to meet whatever need was directly in front of them.

The Stories That Define Lewiston, Michigan

As incredible as the organized efforts were, what happened on a smaller, more personal level is what truly defines this Up North community.

Stories surfaced—hundreds of them.

• •Neighbors checking on neighbors, even when roads were difficult to pass
• •People making their way to homes where someone might be stuck—clearing trees just to make sure they were okay
• •Strangers showing up for strangers, offering comfort, supplies, and support

There were residents who couldn’t leave their homes—and others who made it their mission to reach them anyway. Seasonal property owners returned with truckloads of supplies—water, fuel, and essentials that were suddenly hard to access locally.

No one was keeping track. No one was waiting to be asked. They just did it.

Local response insights highlight that what made Lewiston remarkable wasn’t just the help—it was how natural it felt (Montmorency County Emergency Management, 2025).

Inside the Response: What Happened at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

While numbers can’t fully capture what happened inside those walls, the scale of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church shelter response speaks for itself.

Dozens of people found temporary shelter, and dozens more simply found a place to breathe and feel less alone. Because this wasn’t just about warmth and food. It was about care (St. Francis Catholic Church, 2025).

Continued Support Through Recovery

As the immediate crisis began to ease and power was slowly restored across Northern Michigan, the response didn’t stop. It evolved.

Organizations like Lewiston Cares stepped in to provide ongoing, sustained relief as the community worked through the long tail of recovery:

• ✓2,569+ gallons of gas distributed to residents in need
• ✓893 gas cards provided
• ✓236 propane fuel cards issued
• ✓Food support and free laundry services extended throughout recovery

In Lewiston, support doesn’t stop when the storm passes (Lewiston Cares, 2025).

What Grew After the Storm

Even more powerful than the response itself is what remained afterward.

The connections. The awareness. The understanding that this Up North community is more than a place—it’s a network of people who look out for one another.

Neighbors who had never met before are now familiar faces. There’s a deeper awareness of who might need help—and who is ready to give it. And that doesn’t disappear when the power comes back on.

Conversations with local emergency management and community leaders show that this storm didn’t just expose vulnerabilities—it created momentum for better systems, improved communication, and stronger coordination across communities like Lewiston, Atlanta, and Johannesburg moving forward (Montmorency County Emergency Management, 2025).

Lewiston isn’t just recovering. It’s preparing.