Update – Hydro One Ice Storm Restoration

Pete Fisher
4 days ago
• Categories: Local

(Today’s Northumberland file photo)

As you are aware, 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.

Since the start of the storm (March 28, 11 p.m.), crews have restored power to more than 83 per cent of customers (up three per cent from the last update) affected however, significant damage continues to be discovered as crews continue restoration. There is still a lot of work ahead to get every customer restored and crews won’t stop until every customer has power. To date, crews have identified 1,707 broken poles.

Yesterday’s high winds, freezing rain and thunderstorms caused scattered outages in parts of southwest Ontario affecting 9,000 customers along with 21,000 customers in central Ontario. This weather system slowed restoration and grounded helicopters however, today’s weather allows for restoration to continue as planned. As the fog dissipates, we will have four helicopters in the air to support restoration work as well.

As crews finish restoration in areas, they are being redeployed to support the hardest hit areas which continue to be Peterborough and the surrounding area, Orillia and the surrounding area and Fenelon Falls. We also have additional resources joining us today through Mutual Assistance agreements brining our total to 3,800 Hydro One team members, contractors and other LDC resources on the ground supporting the restoration efforts.

Restoration in the hardest hit areas will continue in the coming days, 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.

Important safety tips for customers at this time include:

• Turning off the stove or any elements that may have been in use when the power went out.
• Some areas are also starting to be affected by flooding. If flooding occurs at home and water starts to reach electrical outlets, baseboard heaters or furnace, customers should call us at 1-800-434-1235 to have power safely turned off. Do not enter any flooded areas, such as the basement, until power is disconnected.

In addition, customers that have damage to their home’s electrical equipment (ex. stack/pipe where the powerline from the road connects to their home), need to have a licensed electrician make the necessary repairs. Customers can learn more about the steps to take through the Electrical Safety Authority- https://esasafe.com/safety/storm-safety/restoring-power/.

Our team can continue to be reach on our 24/7 media line – 416-345-6868 or at media.relations@hydroone.com. We can also provide images of our crews at work.

Below is the updated regional breakdown by operations centre that includes number of outages and customers restored since the beginning of the storm on Friday, March 28, and 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.

 

By the numbers – regional breakdown
Operations centre	Restored outages	Number of customers restored (approximate)	Active outages	Number of customers without power (approximate)	Percentage of customers restored (approximate)
Fenelon Falls	179	57,333	521	33,218	63%
Peterborough (surrounding area)	172	60,501	497	33,164	64%
Ashburnham (Peterborough proper)	121	78,660	131	10,966	87%
Orillia (surrounding area)	60	30,669	407	19,484	61%
Couchiching (Orillia proper)	37	32,274	106	7,061	82%
Bracebridge	89	29,615	151	13,788	68%
Penetang	132	49,888	121	9,569	84%
Tweed	303	64,897	312	7,827	89%
Minden	72	36,998	153	7,982	82%
Barrie	144	45,730	218	9,177	83%
Bancroft	161	31,066	97	6,742	82%
Parry Sound	104	56,143	50	3,408	94%
Alliston	150	23,693	101	3,215	88%
Owen Sound	163	34,648	54	1,543	96%
Newmarket	266	40,974	169	880	98%
Kingston	312	36,906	7	286	99%
Bowmanville	176	17,278	14	1,760	91%
Walkerton	32	4,164	35	768	84%
Trenton	299	40,648	2	17	99%
Manitoulin	42	7,840	3	58	99%
Essex (active outages as a result of yesterday’s weather)	11	487	4	382	56%
Huntsville	45	17,405	1	5	99%
Perth	30	2,527	3	207	92%
Winchester	18	2,327	1	1	99%
Brockville	96	19,004	5	191	99%
Orangeville	224	16,910	17	556	97%