Clarence-Rockland, Ont. –
As the death toll from a powerful storm in Ontario and Quebec on Saturday reached 10 on Monday, some of the hardest-hit communities are still working to balance the damage.
“It’s probably easier for us to count the homes that are undamaged than the ones that are damaged,” said Clarence-Rockland Fire Chief Pierre Voazin as he studied the wreckage in nearby Hammond, Ont. on Monday.
The region has been hit hard enough by the storm to allow some homes to turn into twisted piles of lumber, while broken power lines and broken telephone polls still block streets dotted with uprooted tree debris and building debris.
The scale of the destruction prompted the community, along with the city of Uxbridge, Ont. east of Toronto to declare a state of emergency.
Hammond resident Mianu Gibord felt the devastation first hand when the house she bought brand new in December was destroyed by strong winds.
“I was sitting in the living room with my dog - a dog with post-traumatic stress disorder who had to help me after my house was destroyed by fire – and I saw a red tin roof flying. I grabbed him by the neck and we ran down the stairs, “Gibbord said Monday as she watched what was left of her home.
“All the windows were broken. I shouted “help me” from the basement. My neighbor knocked on the door. The whole house was demolished. My car is still there.
Dominic Couture, a neighbor who ran to save Gibord, said that while his house was only slightly hit by a large dent in the side, the pickup truck he finished paying for four months ago was smashed.
“My truck was parked in front of the house and I think it flew in from behind,” he said. “This is a Dodge Ram and it’s down.”
The level of damage in the area underscores how long some recovery efforts will take, as water suppliers warn that it may still be days before power is fully restored.
Hydro One reports that about 185,000 customers are still without electricity by mid-afternoon on Monday, although the service has been restored to more than 380,000 customers.
There were about 1,500 interruptions across the Hydro-Quebec border, affecting just over 200,000 customers.
Provincial Energy Minister Jonathan Julien held a last-minute press conference Monday morning, saying the goal is to restore power to 80 percent of residents before the end of the day.
However, some residents expressed disappointment with the way the provider communicated the recovery plan.
Marie-Yves Cloutier, a pregnant woman living in Quebec City, said she had spent 25 hours without electricity and was in a constant state of anxiety, wondering when power could return.
She said the Hydro-Quebec website showed that rebuilding in her area was a “work in progress”, leading her to believe that the problems would be resolved sooner than they were.
“It is not their fault that there is no electricity or that it takes more than 24 hours to restore it,” Clutier said on Monday. “Lack of communication is what’s bad.”
Hydro Ottawa said it had restored power to more than 70,000 customers by mid-Monday morning, while approximately 110,000 customers were still without electricity.
The company said the damage was significantly worse than the ice storm of 1998 and the tornado of 2018, adding that it had brought crews from the Toronto and New Brunswick area to help with the repairs.
The storm was so strong that it tore off the roof of this building. Three air-conditioning units are already on the ground, and the hydro-pole and the transformer are broken. pic.twitter.com/eBxiRnTzIa
– Annie Bergeron-Oliver (@AnnieClaireBO) May 23, 2022
“The level of damage in our distribution system is simply beyond comprehension,” Hydro Ottawa said on Twitter on Monday. “We manage this from the point of view of the whole city, given that no area of the city is unaffected in any way.”
The Ottawa-Carlton School Board announced that all schools and childcare centers will be closed on Tuesday due to continuing safety concerns caused by the storm.
“Approximately half of our schools are without electricity at the moment and municipal authorities are urging residents to stay out of the city streets as they try to stabilize roads and traffic lights,” a statement from parents said.
The storm tore through southern Ontario and Quebec in a matter of hours, shattering pillars and tearing down towers, uprooted trees, uprooting tiles and rebuilding houses.
As Canada sent a storm warning to the environment and climate change, the fast-moving system caught many unprepared.
The total death toll from Saturday’s storm is still unclear, but Ontario police said eight people died in falling trees in places across the province during Saturday’s storm, and nine were killed by a falling tree branch during of the consequences on Sunday.
The 10th man died Saturday when the boat he was on capsized on the Ottawa River near Mason-Angers, Que.
The latest victim was confirmed Monday by Peterborough police, who said a 61-year-old Lakefield man had died in a falling tree storm.
This family in Overbrook lost both their cars. One was brand new and still had no insurance. The family has two young children and no power. They can’t find propane, so they burn wood to power their barbecue pic.twitter.com/YRO9qeA0Wt
– Annie Bergeron-Oliver (@AnnieClaireBO) May 23, 2022
This family in Overbrook lost both their cars. One was brand new and still had no insurance. The family has two young children and no power. They can’t find propane, so they burn wood to power their barbecue pic.twitter.com/YRO9qeA0Wt
– Annie Bergeron-Oliver (@AnnieClaireBO) May 23, 2022
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 23, 2022.
– With files from Ian Bikis in Toronto and Virginia Ann in Montreal.
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