Tens of thousands still without power in two states and part of Canada

Tens of thousands of people across the Midwest and Northeast were still without power on Saturday, after an ice storm knocked down numerous power lines last week.

Officials are worried that another snowstorm, expected to hit the Northeast on Sunday, will make it even harder to fully restore power to those who've been without it for nearly a week.

About 60,000 people remain without electricity in the U.S. and Canada. Most are located in Maine, Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario.

While many are worried that they won't be able to celebrate New Years with the lights on, the situation is slowly improving.

At the storm's peak, there were more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Michigan without power. As of Saturday, there are fewer than 20,000, according to NBC News.

But those still without power are becoming increasingly frustrated.

"People are really angry at this point," Alice Dreger, an East Lansing resident, told the Lansing State Journal. "There are people who are just losing it. We want to know where we are on the list."

The number of homes without power in Maine is significantly down too, but some of the 4,000 or so still without power may have to wait until after New Years to get their lights back on, according to Bangor Hydro Electric Company.

Electric crews from other states and Canada are helping repair the downed power lines in Maine.

It's unclear whether the winter storm expected to drop up to seven inches of snow in parts of the Northeast on Sunday will complicate the repair timeline.

In Canada, where warming temperatures have caused falling ice and snow to further cripple power lines, about 30,000 are still without electricity.

"This is Day 7, and there's light at the end of the tunnel," said Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in an interview with CBC News. "What that day is, I can not tell you...We're trying our best."

Authorities blame last weekend's storm for 17 deaths in the U.S. and 10 in Canada. At least five of those deaths have been attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning related to using generators.

Al Jazeera