Thousands still without power after ice storm

A spring storm system that brought thunder, lightning and freezing rain to the region has left tens of thousand of customers in Ottawa without power.

The blackout caused by this week’s deadly ice storm has stretched into a third full day for nearly 300-thousand residents.

As of 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, Hydro Ottawa said 13-hundred customers await power.

Meanwhile, Hydro One says nearly 19-thousand customers were still waiting for their lights to come back on.

Hydro One outage map. (Saturday, April 8, 2023)

Hydro-Quebec said roughly 290-thousand customers are still in the dark. Just over 6-thousand of those customers live in the Gatineau area.

Director of Energy System Control Maxime Nadeau says crews are now tackling the smaller, trickier outages, so the “rhythm of the restoration” won’t be as fast as it was on Friday.

Nadeau says he hopes almost everyone will have their lights on by Sunday, but it may take a little longer for some customers.

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