Power still being restored across central Ontario after damaging ice storms

Article content

Hydro workers continue to restore power around the clock after communities in central Ontario were hit by two ice storms late last month.

In Orillia, Mayor Donald McIsaac called the efforts to restore power in his city “Herculean” after heavy rain froze on tree branches and power lines and knocked them down more than a week ago.

McIsaac said the city received help from the county and province. Local volunteers as well as emergency services, like police and fire, have also chipped in.

“Everyone has pitched in, it’s been amazing,” McIsaac said. “There’s thousands of people in town, from out of town. It’s incredible to see.”

McIsaac said all of Orillia was pitch black when he returned early in the morning on March 31 after cutting his Florida vacation short.

A third ice storm hit the area last Wednesday, causing a temporary delay in the workers’ efforts to restore electricity. On top of that, lightning set ablaze Orillia’s sanitation plant. Residents were asked to reduce their water output because of the fire.

As of Tuesday, there were approximately less than 500 customers without power in Orillia, a city of 35,000 residents and 20,600 hydro customers.

“There are stragglers, but (hydro staff) are working on it, haven’t stopped day and night,” McIsaac said, adding everyone should be reconnected to the grid by Wednesday at the latest.

McIsaac said local MPP Jill Dunlop, the minister of emergency preparedness and response, was the first person to contact him after the power went out and offered unlimited resources and people to help manage the state of emergency.

Teri French, Hydro One’s executive vice-president of operations, helped prioritize hospitals, retirement homes, schools and other core places to get power up and running quickly, McIsaac added.

Further east in Kawartha Lakes, a spokesperson said most of the municipality has regained power over the last 12 hours, but there are still small pockets of customers without electricity.

“Crews continue to uncover severe damage and are rebuilding parts of the distribution grid,” Hydro One said. “So far, more than 2,300 broken poles have been identified and we have the materials needed to complete the work. Restoration will continue into the week, especially in the hardest-hit and remote areas, including some seasonal properties. Safety remains our top priority.”

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

Added Mayor Doug Elmslie said in an emailed statement: “I’ve toured the municipality over the past week and found that despite widespread damage and outages for 10 days and counting, our residents are responding with resilience.

“We understand that Hydro One and several other contracted teams of upwards of 4,000 personnel are doing everything possible to get the last of the Kawartha Lakes homes up and running.”

The municipality, which contains Lindsay, said wintry weather on Tuesday didn’t interfere with their emergency response as downed trees were cleared and roads were treated.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Hydro One said more than 32,000 residential and seasonal customers were still without power, down from 44,000 a day ago.

“Restoration is expected to be slower (Tuesday) in areas with high winds, heavy snow or flooding such as Bracebridge, Penetang, Minden and Fenelon Falls,” the agency said.

“As crews complete restoration in areas, they are being redeployed to work in other affected areas.”

Hydro One said areas with more than 1,000 customers without power at this time include Fenelon Falls, Bracebridge, Minden, the rural areas surrounding Orillia and Peterborough, Penetang, Parry Sound and Bancroft.

They warn that customers living in remote areas, including those who can only be reached by water, should expect longer response times.