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.

“I’ve been with the department for 16 years, and this is the most I’ve seen with power outages and other things,” said Weare Police Lt. James Carney. “Although there was more ice on the road (in 1998), I just don’t remember this many trees down and this many people in the dark.”

Weare was one of the towns hit hardest by the storm, as about 75 percent of the town was in the dark, according to Carney. As of Monday, Dec. 15, several hundred residents were still in the dark.

One piece of evidence on the destruction of the storm came when a local news team came to do an interview in Weare. As the cameraman was setting up, he and several members of the Police Department ran to safety as a tree began falling in their direction.

As of Monday, 1,800 Goffstown residents had no power, and Police Chief Patrick Sullivan said that number was at about 4,600 at the storm’s peak.

“The worst part is the inconvenience for all the people,” said Sullivan. “We certainly appreciate their patience, that’s for sure.”

One police lieutenant in the department even had to leave his post at the Emergency Operation Center after finding out his home was on fire. The blaze left a hole in the the side of his house, and he was unable to live there as of press time.

Several roads were closed in Goffstown, but nearly every one was open by the beginning of the week, with the exception of Shirley Hill Road.

Another town thumped by the ice storm was New Boston, as Police Chief Chris Krajenka said at one point during the storm, only one road was open in town – Route 12N to Goffstown. “It was scary out there,” said Krajenka. “Snapping trees, falling limbs – some of the sounds were God-awful.”

In addition to the closed roads, power outages and closed schools, Krajenka said the Fire Department’s 1964 generator died early Saturday night. Through FEMA, the department was able to get a temporary generator the next day.

Bow Police Chief Erin Commerford said the storm has taxed the manpower of several departments in town, as well as residents.

“Without being able to stay warm, take a shower, cook, go to school, just every day functions, it’s had a great impact,” she said. “It seems like a lot of people have been without power a lot longer than surrounding towns.”