An intense ice storm can paralyze a region in a matter of hours, greatly affecting the people who live there. Sidewalks become extremely slick when covered with freezing rain, increasing the likelihood of someone slipping and injuring themselves.
Automobile accidents are more likely to occur during an ice storm because of the icy roads.
The weight of ice can damage telephone poles and wires, cutting power and lines of communication to millions of people. During one severe ice storm in New England in 1921, ice that accumulated on the wires between two telephone poles was estimated to weigh over 4 tons. Freezing Rain Terms for using data resources. Credits and Acknowledgments for WW2010.