Hydro One Ice Storm Restoration Update April 7, 2025

(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 96 per cent of customers (up 1 per cent from yesterday’s update). We are at the point in our restoration where each outage crews repair restores power to a small number of customers as they are now focused on the smaller powerlines.
• At this time there are approximately 44,000 customers without power from the ice storm. Of those, approximately 20,600 are secondary properties such as cottages and trailers. See regional breakdown below.
• We continue to receive Mutual Assistance from our contractors and 30 utility partners so we continue to have more than 4,800 crew members working to restore power. We thank crew members from Oakville Hydro joining us today.

Restoration updates  

• Today’s weather forecast is favourable for restoration however, high winds and snow are expected this evening in areas affected by the ice storm. This may slow restoration and cause new outages as loose trees/limbs may continue to come down.
• Hardest hit areas continue to be – Fenelon Falls, the rural area surrounding Peterborough, the rural area surrounding Orillia, Bracebridge, Minden and Penetang – see breakdown below.
• 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. Examples include:

• • Later today a section of Highway 400 near Barrie will be closed so crews can safely string powerlines across the highway. This is being coordinated with the OPP.
  • In the north Kawarthas, our boats will take crews to remote areas to repair five broken poles spotted yesterday by our helicopters.
  • Crews made significant progress in Minden yesterday. Today they are focused on the most difficult-to-access properties to replace poles. Two drone teams are supporting this work.

• 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 continues into this 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 

• Local emergency services continue to voice concerns 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.

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