Hydro Ottawa is entering the “final phase” of restoring power to homes and businesses after a devastating storm more than a week ago, in order to keep the network online again tonight.
As of Sunday afternoon, 9,900 customers have been without electricity throughout the city. Hydro Ottawa says that after the storm hit on May 21, about 94 percent of the 180,000 customers affected by the storm have restored their power.
“We made another 5,000 customers in one night, which was pretty decent in my eyes,” said System Operations Director Joseph Muglia, speaking on CFRA Live on Newstalk 580 CFRA with Andrew Pinsent on Sunday morning.
“The pockets that are left are the most affected. They have the most mature trees,” Mulia said. “It’s not just laying the lines, it’s still clearing the bushes, clearing those big trees that have fallen, removing the road, removing debris from the road so we can work and get the lines back and, in many In some cases, restore the pillars. “
Hydro Ottawa says the crews are putting “strong emphasis on those areas that have been most affected” and aiming to restore the “bulk energy system” as soon as possible.
“We are close and with another day of hard work, we believe we will have power to all circuits in the distribution system tomorrow night,” said a note to the council from Hydro Ottawa on Saturday night.
“Please understand, this is by no means certain, nor does it imply that everyone will have power. As I said from the beginning, there are many pockets of severe damage that will hinder or hinder energy.
Hydro Ottawa provided a chart of advisers on Saturday for the top 13 remaining breaks according to the number of clients.
- Carleton Square, Cityview, Skyline, Fisher Heights, Parkwood Hills, Carleton Heights – 1725 clients
- Whitehaven, Carlingwood West, Glabar Park, McKellar Heights – 1403 customers
- Manordale and Crestview Area – 1373 customers
- PineGlen, PineGlen Annex, part of Merivale Road and Prince of Wales – 983 customers
- Parts of Riverside South and Hogs Back – 962 customers
- West of Merivale, past Viewmount, south of Viewmount to the slopes, to Glenmanor Drive – 565 customers
- Ridgeview Park – 535 customers
- Carleton Square, Cityview, Skyline, Fisher Heights, Parkwood Hills, Carleton Heights – 535 customers (different chain)
- Along Meadowsland, west of Maryvale, to Perry and Rowley – 502 customers
- New Grasshopper Hill and Parkland Park – 497 customers
- Lennox Park Avenue, Knox Crescent, Drake Avenue, Dorion Avenue – 427 clients
- Pinecrest Park – 420 clients
- South of CHEO, north of Pleasant Park, between Riverside Campus and Lynda Lane Park – 380 customers
“The next part of the recovery is complicated by remaining debris, fallen trees and branches and / or damage to customer-owned equipment,” Hydro Ottawa said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
“If customers notice that their electrical equipment (such as service masts, measuring base or wires running from the base of the meters to the electrical panel in the house) is damaged, they may need to repair their equipment before Hydro Ottawa can to reconnect power. “
Hydro Ottawa says that when crews complete major construction projects, they will be broken up and assigned to smaller teams to cover smaller pockets when power is still off.
Natalie van Roy of CTVNewsOttawa asked Hydro Ottawa on Saturday if power could be restored by the end of the weekend.
“This is certainly our hope,” Mulia said.
Muglia says Hydro Ottawa “hopes to get back supplies” by the end of the weekend, which will be powering neighborhoods.
“We are scattered around the city… we are focusing on those areas that need a little extra attention.”
Hydro teams from New Brunswick, London, Ont., Toronto and Kingston remain in Ottawa to help clean up.
Mayor Jim Watson acknowledges that patience may be running out for residents who are left without electricity for nine days.
“Obviously those 18,000 who still don’t have power are as disappointed as they should be. But we are making progress,” Watson told CTV News on Saturday night.
“WE DIDN’T FORGET YOU,” says HYDRO OTTAWA
Frustration is growing throughout Ottawa this weekend as residents spend a second weekend without electricity after the May 21 storm.
Muglia insists that Hydro Ottawa continue to operate 24/7 until the entire network is restored.
“We hope that the residents can endure a little longer,” Mulia said.
“It was such a widespread blow to our city. There are a huge number of trees on wires and broken poles that we are still dealing with.”
Mulia adds that Hydro Ottawa has not forgotten the 18,000 customers who are still without electricity.
“There are people who think we have forgotten about them. I can guarantee you that we have not forgotten about them,” Mulia said on Saturday.
“We are aware of any feeder that has disturbances in it. Although you can see a street from you, a street that has power and you don’t – rest assured, we haven’t forgotten anyone. “
HYDRO ONE AND HYDRO QUEBEC
Hydro One reports that just over 12,300 customers in Ontario are without electricity on Sunday morning. The utility said it included more than 750,000 customers after last Saturday’s storm.
As progress progresses, Hydro One warns that some of the most remote areas may have to wait days or weeks for power to be restored.
More than 1,900 water ladders were destroyed by the storm.
Hydro Quebec said 8,700 customers across the province were left without electricity on Sunday morning, most of them in the Laurentides area. In the Outaouais region, just over 1,000 customers are not yet connected back to the network. The majority of customers in Gatineau have restored power; however, there are interruptions scattered in the Outaouais area in places such as La Peche and Val-des-Monts.
SCHOOLS
The Ottawa School Board Carlton and the Catholic School Board in Ottawa say schools will open for personal instruction on Monday if they have the power.
Schools will open on Monday if power is restored to the building by 3 p.m. Sunday.
Details on the cancellation of school bus routes are available on the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority’s website.
FOOD WASTE
All waste bins with only organic substances have been removed from the 15 places in the city.
For information on waste disposal options, visit the Ottawa City website.
CLEANING THE CAPITAL
The city of Ottawa has launched a new neighborhood cleaning program called “Cleaning the Capital: After the Storm.”
Like Captial’s annual cleaning program, neighbors, family and friends can work together to clean up their neighborhood after the storm. Residents are invited to fill in the electronic registration form for the “Cleaning the Capital” program.
Consumables will be available from Saturday, between 10 am and 10 pm, at the following places:
- Navan Memorial Center and Arena, 1295 Colonial Road
- Howard Darwin Centennial (Merivale) Arena, 1765 Merivale Road
- Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Center, 3320 Paul Anka Drive
- CARDELREC Recreation Complex (Goulburn), 1500 Shea Road
The city is also in partnership with Samaritan’s Purse, a non-governmental organization, and will provide support to residents who have been affected by their private property. For more information, visit samaritanspurse.ca/ottawavolunteer.
Volunteers are asked to bring the following:
- weather-resistant clothing that can become dirty, wet or damaged
- work gloves, if any, may otherwise be provided
- narrow toe shoes (ideally steel toe boots)
Please do not bring your own equipment or tools for the Samaritan’s Portse project.
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