Update April 6, 2025 – Hydro One Restoration Following Ice Storm

(Today’s Northumberland file photo)

Restoration by the numbers

• Since the start of the devasting ice storm (March 28, 11 p.m.), crews have restored power to more than 95 per cent of customers (up 2 per cent from yesterday’s update).
• At this time there are approximately 69,000 customers without power. This includes all active outages in our service territory.
• Of the customers without power, nearly 26,000 are secondary properties such as cottages and trailers.
• We continue to bring in more crews from other utilities with more than 4,800 crew members working to restore power. This includes Mutual Assistance resources from our contractors and 29 utility partners.

Restoration updates  

• Today’s weather forecast is favourable for restoration and our helicopters and drones are back in the air.
• Localized flooding continues to be an issue in some areas. Restoration may be slowed if roads are affected.
• Severe damage continues to be discovered as new areas are accessed. Rebuilding of sections of the local distribution grid continues in many places.

• • For example, yesterday crews replaced 50 poles to rebuild a section of the power system in the Minden area.

• To date, crews have identified more than 2,200 broken poles. We continue to have ample materials to complete restoration.
• Hydro One serves customers in largely rural parts of the province which poses unique challenges such as thousands of kilometers of distribution line traversing through various off-road terrain including heavily forested areas, Canadian Shield, water access only locations and islands. Hydro One has 126,000 circuit kilometres of primary distribution lines – enough to wrap around the earth three times.
• Restoration in the hardest hit areas will continue into next week. For remote areas, including customers who can only be reached by water, restoration may take longer. This includes many seasonal properties.

Safety messages to amplify 

• We continue to hear concerns from local emergency services about carbon monoxide and stoves left on in homes. It is critical that generators, BBQs and hibachi grills are used outside, away from any windows or ventilation. In addition, turn off the stove and other major appliances that may have been in use when the power went out.
• Customers experiencing flooding in their home that is starting to reach electrical outlets, baseboard heaters or furnace, need to call Hydro One at 1-800-434-1235 to have power safely turned off. Water and electricity do not mix. Do not enter any flooded areas, such as the basement, until power is disconnected.
• 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.
• Customers in the process of having a licensed electrician install a generator should follow the instructions below to avoid the temporary disconnection requirement and breaking the meter seal – Flash 25-15-FL.

Ice Storm 2025: Recovery Grant launches tomorrow

• We’ve seen firsthand the devastation this storm has caused and cleanup will continue long after power is restored. With the amount damage to trees and infrastructure, some of these communities will never look the same.
• These are communities where we live and work, and we care about them deeply. We will be there as they rebuild and provide support through our Ice Storm 2025: Recovery Grant.
• Directly impacted Indigenous communities and municipalities can apply for a grant of up to $10,000 to support relief and recovery efforts in their local community. Applications will open on Monday, April 7.

Regional breakdown

• 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.
• The number of seasonal properties affected by outages is included for each operations centre. These numbers are part of the total in the number of customers without power column.
• These areas do not align with municipal boundaries, 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