Jai Perso, left, shows his wife Nan as they look at the tree that collapsed on their neighbor’s house after the May 21 storm. Persaud says that without power or the Internet, it was difficult to start the insurance process. (Avantica Anand / CBC)
On Sunday, Anshul Melville took a chainsaw to the trees that fell in the front yard of his home in the annex to Pineglen during a fatal storm last weekend.
Melville has been clearing up this mess for more than a week – but his biggest challenge is what he can’t fix on his own.
“There was no heat, no hot water,” said Melville, one of Hydro Ottawa’s approximately 10,000 customers who still have no electricity eight days after the storm erupted.
Melville uses a spare generator for rent only to keep his phone charged in case of an emergency.
But this temporary solution, even when used minimally, is expensive. Melville says he spends more than $ 100 a day to keep the generator running – and he’s getting tired.
“It simply came to our notice then [our] the return of power, “he said.
“It was hard”
In a Sunday update, Hydro Ottawa said it had restored power to 94 percent of its roughly 180,000 customers affected by the powerful May 21 gorge.
The power company said it was entering “the last phase of recovery efforts” as crews scattered around the city tried to reconnect “remaining isolated outages”.
One of those interruptions was at the home of Maryvale, 95-year-old Mervyn Brown, who failed to find a generator.
The past week has been a challenge for both him and his wife, he said.
“It was difficult because we collect rainwater to flush toilets,” he said, adding that they do not have drinking water in their home.
Mervyn Brown, 95, says he failed to gain access to a generator in the days after the devastating May 21 devastation that hit Ottawa. Brown says he and his wife had to throw away food worth about $ 1,000. (Julia Wong / CBC)
Without electricity for his refrigerator, Brown says he had to throw away food worth at least $ 1,000. This is along with the significant damage from the storm, which still needs repair, he said.
Jai Persaud’s property was also damaged, and a power outage meant he was unable to begin repairs.
Without a power or internet connection, Perso said it was difficult for him to contact his insurance provider.
“I am going to [nearby] Tim Horton’s parking lot to try to use the internet there. It was very difficult to try to connect with people, “he said.
Feeling helpless
Carleton University student Claire Petit lives right next to Prince of Wales Drive and said the lack of power and internet “completely cut off” her life.
Ongoing breaks, she said, make it difficult for her to cope with her studies.
“The accommodation that the university can provide to students will only last as long as most students experience it,” she said.
“So to raise my hand and say no, I need longer accommodation is harder – because you have to prove that we’re still affected by it and it’s not over yet.”
After eight days of cold showers, confusion and complete darkness, Petit said she was beginning to feel helpless.
She said she hopes Hydro Ottawa and the Ottawa city’s cleaning teams have not forgotten her neighborhood. So far, she said, she has had no help from either.
“We don’t know when we will get power again,” Petit said.
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