Local towns are dealing with the wrath of Mother Nature, who dropped ice around the Granite State, leaving a good portion of the state in the dark.

More than 325,000 New Hampshire residents were left without power following an ice storm that many officials say was worse than the one that took place in 1998.

Virtually all of Epsom, a town of about 4,000 people was left in the dark at the start of the ice storm.

“There were quite few trees and wires down,” said Selectman Joanne Randall. “The whole town was out. As of Monday (Dec. 15), we still had small pockets of secondary roads without electricity. There may still be some people without power at the end of the week.”

Epsom Fire Chief Stuart Yeaton said they learn something from each event, having gone through floods the past few years and the tornado this summer.

“Every time we get another event, we learn something,” he said. “People would call and say they have power and a generator (to offer).”

Auburn police have seen the criminal element take advantage of the storm. Police Chief Edward Picard said his department received a call during the power outage about an attempted break in.

The call came at 3 a.m. Sunday morning, Dec. 14, but Picard said his department hasn’t been faced with the theft of generators that he has been told is happening in surrounding towns.

“People have to go all the way to Connecticut to purchase generators,” said Picard. “The bad guys are using this emergency to their advantage.”

As of Tuesday, Dec. 16, about 50 percent of Auburn was in the dark, compared to what Picard estimated to be about 90 percent at the storm’s height.

Despite the negatives that came with the storm, Picard said there is a positive he took out of it.

“I’m proud of the way that the town has responded to helping their neighbors who don’t have power,” said Picard. “There were private residents going around with their generators, and that’s the character of Auburn.”

Candia officials met on Friday, Dec. 12, to set a plan of action, a plan that included getting the town’s roads cleared first.

While the road agent and his crews began on the back roads, firefighters attacked dangerous trees on Route 43, High Street and Old Candia Road.

Officials opened an emergency shelter later in the day at the Moore School, but after only one resident stayed there Friday night, it was suspended on Saturday.

The use of generators and personal heaters made for busy days and nights for the Hooksett Fire Department, according to Chief Michael Williams.

“We were extremely busy responding to over 60 electrical emergency incidents in a 48-hour period,” said Williams. “We are now experiencing carbon monoxide problems due to generators operating in garages and kerosene heater operating in houses. Just (Monday, Dec. 15) we responded to five carbon monoxide problems with related medical symptoms.”

Pembroke and Allenstown were not hit too hard. Lt. Dwayne Gilman of the Pembroke Police Department reported that 425 homes in Pembroke were without power at the height of the problem, mostly in the northern area of town. Allenstown residents also lost power, but there were no serious issues reported by the Allenstown Police Department.