Hydro One yesterday announced that crews from south of the border have arrived to help clear up the storm damage and restore power lines and impacted infrastructure.
“Our neighbours to the south are here to help!” said a Hydro One tweet.
“Crews from the US have crossed the border to assist with getting the lights back on. Saturday’s #ONstom caused extensive damage, and we appreciate everyone’s patience. Thank you to the crews for coming!” it added.
Durham Update and Tips
The Regional Municipality of Durham is sharing important information for residents affected by the recent storm, including road closures, food safety tips, well water safety, and the safe disposal of yard waste at the Waste Management Facilities (WMFs).
Food safety: For residents whose refrigerators were impacted due to power outages, ensure that any food above 4 degrees Celsius is discarded. When in doubt, throw it out. More information is available on the Durham Region Health Department Food safety page and on the Government of Canada’s Food safety in an emergency page.
Flooding and drinking water: If the water in your well was affected by flooding, stop using the water from your home immediately. Test your well water first before using. Do not use the water, even if you have a disinfection system. Learn more on the Durham Region Health Department’s Flooding page. Well water can become contaminated after extreme weather and flooding. Ensure your well water is safe during and after emergencies on the Government of Canada’s Be Well Aware page. Residents with private wells can get more information about well water maintenance and safety on the Durham Region Health Department’s Private wells page.
Storm debris disposal
Waste Management Facilities (WMFs): To support residents in the safe disposal of debris caused by the storm, Durham Region’s WMFs will be open from 8 am to 8 pm as of Tuesday, May 24 until Saturday, May 28.
Leaf and yard waste: Waste Management Facilities will also accept any leaf and yard waste that is dropped off over the next two weeks (until June 6 unless otherwise extended). Additionally, the typical fee for Durham Region residents using the WMFs will be waived for leaf and yard waste to support the storm recovery. Learn more about WMFs at durham.ca/WMF. Residents in Town of Ajax, Municipality of Clarington, City of Pickering and the Townships of Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge can also take advantage of their curbside leaf and yard waste curbside collection on their scheduled collection date. Leaf and yard waste collection for Oshawa and Whitby residents is the responsibility of those individual municipalities, not the Region of Durham. These residents are asked to check their waste calendars, or contact their local municipality, regarding the collection of leaf and yard waste.
Road closures
Town of Whitby: Thickson Road is closed, north and south, from Consumers Drive to Burns Street East due for ongoing repairs to power lines. Ongoing closures and lane restrictions will be required until the repairs are complete.
Town of Ajax: Westney Road, between Taunton and Highway 7, and Bayly Street, from Salem Road to Burcher Road, are closed due to down power lines and trees. For the most up-to-date information on power outages and planned restoration times, refer to the Elexicon, Oshawa Power, and Hydro One outage websites.
For the latest news and updates on service disruptions, follow the Region of Durham on Twitter and Facebook, or visit our website at durham.ca.
Oshawa Power serves 9,000 customers
Meanwhile Oshawa Power announced as of 6 pm Sunday, it had responded to more than 9,000 customers without power, resulting from Saturday’s devastating storm.
By Sunday evening it had some 350 customers remaining without power, located mainly in the rural areas of north Oshawa.
“In addition, our crews and control staff have been working on a rotating 24/7 schedule to restore power with an estimated total return to service for late Sunday night,” said a company statement.
The storm’s heavy winds created a significant amount of tree and infrastructure damage to the electric grid and public infrastructure. Oshawa Power crews worked day and night to clear debris and restore power. The crews also cleared tree branches from individual home services to temporarily restore power while homeowners arranged for permanent repairs to their masts and ESA approval to reconnect fully.
“We want to thank our people who worked tirelessly to restore power quickly and safely to our community and allow our customers to get back to normal. Our strong storm response experience enables our team to restore power quickly and ensure that our grid is more resilient to withstand these extreme events occurring more frequently,” said Ivano Labricciosa, Oshawa President and CEO of Oshawa Power.
Elections on schedule
In the aftermath of the destructive thunderstorms that crossed Ontario on Saturday, Elections Ontario knows that Ontarians in certain areas still face ongoing power outages and/or property damage, said a statement.
“We want to make sure that advance voting in Ontario’s 43rd general election is still accessible to those who have been hit hardest by the storm. To that end we are doing everything we can to work with hydro companies to restore power to affected Elections Ontario voting locations. In some cases, we are able to operate those locations safely as paper polls, but some remain closed and we also need to relocate a few polls where access is impossible because of property damage or downed trees and power lines,” said the staement.
For those who do wish to head out to vote, the most up-to-date information on the status of locations is available in Voter Information Service (VIS) or on the Elections Ontario app where voters can check by postal code or electoral district. Voters can also call 1.888.668.8683.
21,000 Elexicon customers impacted
Elexicon Energy yesterday announced good progress overnight, restoring power to 9,500 customers. Approximately 11,500 customers remain without power.
“We continue to work hard to bring power pack and ensure public safety working with emergency services and our municipalities,” it said.
Uxbridge cleans up
North Division of Durham Regional Police service (DRPS) yesterday said it will be maintaining an increased presence in Uxbridge, while efforts to clear the devastation of Saturdays storm, and restore power to residents continues.
“We would like to thank all community members for their help, and patience, during this difficult time,” it added.
