Power crews are still working around the clock to get the lights back on for thousands of people in our region.
Hydro One’s Tiziana Baccega-Rosa says it’s a mix of people who lost power through the holiday snowstorm, and new outages caused in its wake.
“After a severe storm like that, you may have loose branches that didn’t come down when winds are initially gusting, but the next time there’s anything in the area,” says Baccega-Rosa. “Sometimes when we’re making repairs, we need to temporarily take power out to other customers, make that repair, and bring everyone back on at the same time.”
Baccega-Rosa says outage numbers will ebb and flow over the next few days, as those adjustments and repairs are made. She notes that many people in the company have worked straight through the holidays to get things back online.
“We have the most dedicated workforce, but also our contractors and utility partners, that have been with us lockstep through this entire event working tirelessly to get the power back on for customers,” says Baccega-Rosa. “We thank them, and we also thank our customers for their patience. This has not been an easy time of the year to be without power, temperatures are cold, it’s also the holidays, so I think everyone is just doing their best to get through the challenging circumstances.”
Baccega-Rosa adds that it’ll be a while longer for island and other water-access customers, as the necessary boats and helicopters have been hampered by the weather.
In the meantime, you can check current outage numbers at Hydro One’s website.