A powerful spring storm shut down schools and government offices across Nova Scotia on Tuesday. The wild weather also took a toll on power lines, leaving thousands of customers in the dark.

Freezing rain and blowing snow pounded the province throughout the day with Cape Breton among the hardest-hit areas.

“I was lying in bed and I heard three loud bands and then the sky lit up,” says River Ryan resident Verna MacDonald.

Three utility poles came crashing down, knocking out power to the area and blocking the street.

“Thinking how frigging long it will take to get the power back, but I guess the whole island has trouble, poles and trees down all over the place,” says River Ryan resident Paul MacDonald.

Freezing rain is wreaking havoc with power lines and transmissions in many parts of Nova Scotia and residents of Louisbourg and Main-a-Dieu have been without power since Monday.

Rose Roach took her family to a warming centre at the Albert Bridge Fire Hall.

“We were trapped in our house and we had no water,” says Roach. “We have electric heat so we didn’t have any power. We all huddled together for one night but today it was getting cold so I said I had to think of the children.”

“A lot of the people are stuck in their driveways and the lines are down in their yard,” says Albert Bridge Fire Chief Jasmine Collins.

“We have been sending our Suburban out to pick up people that can’t make it out so they can come up here and at least get a nice hot cup of coffee, tea and a bite to eat.”

At one point Tuesday afternoon, roughly 13,000 people were without power across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality due to ice buildup on power lines and downed trees. Nova Scotia Power says some customers may not see power for days.

“We’re expecting a lot more people today, delays with Nova Scotia Power could be up to, from what I’m hearing now, could be up to a week,” says Collins.

Deteriorating weather conditions also forced the Cape Breton District Health Authority to operate on emergency services only.

“Emergency services means just that; our emergency departments remain open and we continue to provide our surgical services and any procedures or services that have been scheduled in advance for patients,” says spokesperson Greg Boone.

Police across Cape Breton and the rest of Nova Scotia are advising motorists that road conditions are dangerous and are urging people to stay home and off the roads.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kyle Moore