A massive thunderstorm kicked off a long May weekend in southern Ontario and Quebec, killing at least eight people and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity, and communities are now struggling to cope.
Cleaning efforts continued on Sunday as crews battled traces of devastation that left fallen trees, downed power lines and battered neighborhoods.
After the storm cleared west in Golden Horseshoe, torrents of rain, wind and thunder hit eastern Ottawa and southern Quebec.
Eight were reported dead
Police say seven deaths in Ontario were caused by falling trees as strong winds caused widespread damage while a woman in Quebec died when a boat she was on capsized in the Ottawa River near Mason. Angers.
Three of the deaths were confirmed Sunday afternoon. Emergency crews in Durham found a man in the Ganaraska forest who was hit by a fallen tree during the storm. He died on the spot.
A woman in Port Hope, Ontario, was also hit by a falling tree and died on the spot, Ontario Police (OPP) said.
Another woman died after a tree fell into a home in her North Kavarta town, Ont., The OPP confirmed.
Other victims of the storm in Ontario on Saturday included a 44-year-old man in Greater Madawaska west of Ottawa, a 70-year-old woman on a walk in Brampton, a 59-year-old man on a golf course in Ottawa and a man killed in a trailer for camping near Pinehurst Lake in the Waterloo region.
Trees, power lines removed
The city of Ottawa says there have been numerous reports of fallen trees littered the roads and sidewalks, along with several damaged houses. Hydro Ottawa says 200 water pillars were damaged by the storm.
Hydro Ottawa’s most recent outage map shows more than 575 outages affecting 177,546 customers, and the Hydro Quebec website confirms that approximately 370,000 customers are still without electricity.
“The situation is complicated by major damage to our city’s infrastructure, both transmission and distribution systems, and we are currently unable to provide estimated recovery times,” Hydro Ottawa said in an update Sunday morning.
Hydro Quebec announced on Sunday morning that more than 361 crews had been sent to affected communities to restore the service, but they also did not offer an estimated time for recovery.
The city of Uxbridge, Ont. declared a local state of emergency after the storm caused significant damage to the community.
A statement posted on the municipality’s website said there were massive power outages and many road closures due to downed trees and power lines. Residents have been asked to stay at home to allow municipal workers to focus on removing road hazards rather than managing congestion.
On Sunday, the city also banned all outdoor fires and announced that Township emergency services were deployed to help with storm damage.
The Eastern Community of Ontario in Clarence-Rockland has also declared a state of emergency.
As of early Sunday morning, Hydro One, which supplies electricity to rural Ontario residents, said 269,000 customers were without electricity.
In a statement to customers on Sunday, the company said that although additional resources had been raised to help restore power, “it will take several days to recover all customers due to significant damage.”
Recovery efforts
The city of Ottawa has established three emergency reception centers, which include charging stations for residents affected by the storm
“Recreation centers are there to provide air conditioning, electrical outlets and a simple collection point, as hydro centers believe it may take two to three days for everyone to be re-powered. That’s why we’re asking people to be patient, “Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told CTV News Channel on Sunday.
He said clean-up efforts were under way, with the city’s first priority being to clean roads designated for emergency routes for fires, police and ambulances, but it could take several days before the city can operate again.
However, in some areas affected by the storm, there is still some bad weather.
Environment Canada issued a warning of potential thunderstorms in southern Quebec on Sunday night with gusts of approximately 40 kilometers per hour.
With files from CTV News Toronto, CTV News Ottawa and The Canadian Press
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