Manitoba Hydro has made significant progress in restoring power to the thousands of customers who have been in the dark since Tuesday, when an intense line of storms rolled through the province.
As of 11 p.m, Wednesday, power had been restored to about 17,000 customers in Winnipeg, Selkirk, south-central Manitoba, and the Westman and Parkland regions of the province, with hopes of restoring the majority of customers in Westman and the Parkland regions overnight.
Major progress made
Manitoba Hydro says that crews also made huge progress in Winnipeg, restoring power to between 8,000 and 10,000 customers. Another 2,000 to 3,000 customers in the city are expected to remain without power for an extended period due to the severity of damage and the need to clear trees to allow crews access.
“We’re anticipating having almost all customers back on by the end of the day on June 11, barring any unforeseen issues,” said Scott Powell, Director of Corporate Communications and Marketing for Maitoba Hydro. However, the situation is fluid, and there’s a possibility of more severe weather coming that could affect our estimates. Appreciate your patience as we work safely to restore your power as quickly as possible.”
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In some areas, Powell says power will need to be shut off to an entire community to allow for repairs.
“The safety of our employees and customers cannot be compromised,” said Powell.
Customers urged to fix damaged service masts
Anyone who experienced tree damage to their overhead service mast is asked to contact a licensed electrician right away to arrange for repairs.
“This will help us get your power back on more quickly as we don’t have to wait for those customer repairs to be performed before energizing those properties,” said Powell.
Hydro is reminding residents to stay at least 10 metres away from any downed or damaged power lines and to treat all lines as energized.