Hydro One’s Update on Ice Storm

(Today’s Northumberland file photo)

This past weekend, a major storm system swept across Ontario that has affected nearly 1 million customers. This is the most devastating and widespread damage Ontario has faced since the ice storm in 1998.

High winds and freezing rain are expected in parts of southwest and central Ontario starting this afternoon, potentially slowing our efforts to restore power. We are already seeing scattered outages in southwest Ontario as a result of the high winds.

There are currently approximately 192,000 customers that remain without power. Crews are out in full force working alongside our contractors and team members from 18 other Ontario utilities providing us with mutual assistance, and we expect more resources from our mutual aid agreements in the coming days.

Since the start of the storm (March 28, 11 p.m.), crews have restored power to more than 80 per cent of customers affected however significant restoration efforts are required to get every customer restored. We expect restoration in the hardest hit areas to continue throughout the week, with most customers back online by the weekend. For remote areas, including customers who can only be reached by water, restoration may take longer. Road access continues to be a challenge in the most impacted areas, along with safety concerns of tree branches and limbs coming down.

As with all storms, Hydro One operates under the Incident Management System. A Unified Command Approach is in effect which pairs Hydro One crews, Hydro One emergency operation leads and, on the ground, municipal emergency resources to prioritize clearing road access and restoration to critical infrastructure. It’s likely that as crews continue cleanup, they will uncover more damage and additional power outages.

After most storms, we typically see damage concentrated in specific areas. This storm has been widespread with damage accumulating over several days. On some lines, crews have identified multiple types of damage that need to be addressed before power can be restored.

Thank you to the local distribution companies that are providing Hydro One with Mutual Assistance: Alectra, Bluewater Power, CNP Fort Erie, Enwin, Entergus, Epcor, Essex Power, ERTH, Grand Bridge Energy, Hydro Ottawa, Kingston PUC, Lakefront Utilities, London Hydro, Milton Hydro, Niagara Peninsula Energy, Oshawa PUC, Renfrew Hydro and Toronto Hydro.

Our team can continue to be reach on our 24/7 media line – 416-345-6868 or at media.relations@hydroone.com.

Note, this update does not include information regarding the impact of the additional weather affecting customers today.

Below, there is a regional breakdown by operations centre that includes number of outages and customers restored since the beginning of the storm on Friday, March 28, an the number of active outages and customers without power at this time.

Please note these areas do not align with municipal boundaries as they are our broken down by our operations centres. A map of our operations centres’ service area can be found below.

Author: Pete Fisher

Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love