More than 50,000 Hydro customers still without power in Quebec
Posted May 26, 2022 10:24 am.
Last Updated May 26, 2022 6:20 pm.
More than 50,000 customers are still without power as of Thursday morning in Quebec after last weekend’s violent storm.
The hardest-hit areas in the province are the Laurentians, where 31,378 customers are still off the electricity grid, along with Lanaudière at 10,518 and Outaouais at 11,870 at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.
In Morin-Heights, 88km north of Montreal, over 1,500 were still without power out of 3,000 plus users. Damages could still be seen everywhere five days after the storm, including a tree that feel into a vehicle. Luckily no one was injured.
“It’s been surreal, it’s just been so difficult,” says Morin-Heights resident, Jacqueline Murray. “There’s nothing that you can do. The only thing that we really have is water.”
#WATCH: “It’s been surreal, it’s just been so difficult,” says Morin-Heights resident, Jacqueline Murray, who on Thursday was still without power after the weekend’s storm. Her home isn’t damaged, but she’s been living without a generator.
READ: https://t.co/Ask83ZpJPS pic.twitter.com/1QWi9fU71q
— Alyssia (@rubertuccinews) May 26, 2022
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Hydro-Québec said on Wednesday that they hope to restore electricity to the majority of clients by today – and replace 500 poles that were damaged. Some areas could take until at least Saturday to see their power come back.
“Today we came to patrol a line that was problematic, where customers were off the grid, to realize there was a broken tree that was on the wires.. We had to call on our pruning teams who came to clean the networks that are currently working,” said Hydro Quebec Chief Lineman, Steven McNicoll. “Right after the trees are cleared we will be able to carry out the repair work to restore power.
Crews are working around the clock and the utility says doing at least 16-hour days to get everyone back on the grid.
Murray was among those Thursday watching crews work, in hopes of finding out if she’ll regain electricity soon.
“Most of us can’t even get onto the Internet without using mobile data and costing us money,” she said.
Her home wasn’t damaged in the storm, but she’s been living without a generator.
“I do have two neighbors with generators so I’ve been lucky enough to put my steaks and my chicken there and friends give me coffee and toast,” Murray said.
Some on neighbouring streets had power return Wednesday.
“It was four days and they went by quite quickly because you’re quite busy just cleaning the land and picking up the sticks and cutting the wood. But it brings people back down to earth I find not having any power,” said resident, Anthony Vaillancourt.
Hydro crews say each outage is treated case by case, and they’re working tirelessly to get people back on the grid.
“It will soon be a week since the winds hit the region,” McNicoll said.
“It was very scary when the trees came down,” Murray said. “Just watching it all happen.”
#WATCH: “You never think it would happen around here,” says Morin-Heights resident Barry Baumel, of the destruction surrounding his home. A few houses on his street were damaged by trees – his luckily went untouched.
READ: https://t.co/Ask83ZpJPS pic.twitter.com/7a2FXnHM6r
— Alyssia (@rubertuccinews) May 26, 2022
“Right across the street, they got hit and down that way. But right here, just a few branches,” said Morin-Heights resident, Barry Baumel.
Just doors down from Baumel, others were not so lucky, with the sight of a tree clobbering a van.
“You see it on TV a lot, but you never think it would happen around here. It’s just a freak storm, I guess,” he said.
By Thursday afternoon, just under 1,000 hydro customers in Morin-Heights were yet to be reconnected.
“Be patient, we are at work. We’re doing our best and you’ll soon be re-established,” said McNicoll.
“We know that it’s going to be very soon anyway, whether it’s tonight or tomorrow, it’s not a month like somebody told us,” said Murray.
