another shot:

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Depends on what the leaves look like and how many viable roots are left once you clear away the potting material.

Cause? Too much tender love and care leading to over watering.

What to do? Read the numerous past threads on saving sick Phalaenopsis. Put Phalaenopsis in the search box on the top of this discussions page to find them.

Post some pics of the leaves.

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??? so....thats why I come to this forum....for good advice?

The new leaf is a good sign, but are there any drainage holes in the bottom of the pot? You have to simulate the orchid growing on a rock or on a tree in nature.
Culture in Zone 5 is a mystery to me.

gardenlady, they look like they have gotten way too much water.

here's what i would do to try to save them.

first, you should clear away all the bark. then, grab some garden shears or some scissors and cut off the dead roots. dead roots are going to be brown or black. healthy roots are green or light colored--do not cut those off. (if you search the internet for instructions on repotting a phalaenopsis, you'll find webpages and videos and these all discuss how to tell apart dead roots from living roots, but for most people it's pretty obvious when you see it). i'd also leave any roots that are part dead and part alive, although if the dead part is at the bottom you can just cut the dead part off.

if you've got a few roots left once you're done with this process, then there is some hope. pot the plants in some new mix. i don't know what mix would work well where you are--bark might do it (but don't reuse the bark you had), or maybe a mix of bark and sphagnum moss, or something else. there are a lot of options. since it seems they were overwatered, bark might be the way to go because it retains water less than a lot of other kinds of mixes. (whatever you use, make sure you soak it well and then squeeze/wring it out well BEFORE you pot the orchid/s in it.)

to keep this from happening again, don't overwater. the bark (or whatever medium you use) needs to be PRACTICALLY DRY before you water again. it doesn't need to get bone dry, but if you feel moisture, don't water. (stick your fingers into the mix a little bit to feel for moisture, don't just look at the top layer). there are a lot of webpages on the internet that talk about how to care for phalaenopsis and i'm not going to try to outdo them here, but the gist of it is that while they are jungle plants that need water, they dont like to sit in water or sopping wet medium. they just like moisture.

note that especially after you repot them, the mix will stay wet for a while. it could be a week, two weeks, or even three, depending on what mix you use. don't water again until it gets dry, even if it feels wrong not to water a plant for so long.

some people recommend sticking the orchid somewhere that it doesn't get a great deal of light for the first week or two after you repot it. i don't know if that's the way to go in this case since they need to grow their roots. maybe someone else will comment on that.

oh, and whatever you pot them in, it needs to have at least a drainage hole at the bottom.

i am a fan of special orchid pots that have holes on the side of the pot as well as on the bottom, but that's not critical. what's important is that water drains out of the bottom of the pot and doesn't accumulate there, because if it does that your orchid roots will rot and the plants will die.

Yes, of course there are drainage holes....I will be repotting soon thanks to your detailed valuable advice! Greatly appreciated. :)

Okay...update- I finally purchased some potting mix for orchids yesterday. Pulled out the orchid and all the roots were brown and dry. Leafs looked pretty good with a small healthy new leaf.and two light green knobs at the base of the plant??? Not sure if those are going to be roots eventually or flowering stem. Regardless at this point I had nothing to really lose. I clipped off all the dead roots potted the plant with the 2 knobs beneath the soil. Done! If it lives, the I will officially saw I have a green thumb, :)

Good going and good luck!

Jane