Hydro-Québec Update: No Power For Over 200,000 Customers Until Thursday Morning
This morning, people in Montreal North, Laval, and the Laurentians woke up to yet another day without power. Over 300,000 people have been affected by mass power outages after terrible weather downed power lines across the regions north of Montreal.
Earlier today, Québec public security authorities said that the power could potentially be restored later tonight, but now, reports indicate that the power won't be restored to some customers until Thursday morning. At 1 PM today, there were still over 200,000 customers without power.
Hydro-Québec crews are making their way across the province in an attempt to restore power as quickly as possible but the job is turning out to be more complex than expected as a snowstorm is blanketing the Greater Montreal Area. With more than 10cm of snow expected in the forecast, affected Hydro-Québec customers will have to be patient.
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TL;DR Quebec's public security authorities just announced that power won't be restored to some Hydro customers until Thursday morning. Extreme weather across the region has delayed Hydro-Québec's efforts. The power outages are primarily localized to Laval and the Laurentians.
In Laval, 71,000 residents, or roughly 16.7% of the population, are without power until tomorrow morning. Most Laval schools are closed today due to this massive power outage. No word on whether they'll be open tomorrow.
Apparently, some areas have received false notices that power was restored this afternoon, much to the chagrin of customers. People are struggling to stay ahead of the situation as many aren't able to charge their phones to get real-time updates.
Affected customers are also worried about their pets, as no power means no heating for some people. With chilly, snowy weather pounding the region until tomorrow, people are understandably concerned.
@hydroquebec@VilleRepentigny Je reçois une notification comme quoi le courant est rétabli chez moi alors que ce n’est même pas vrai!! L’application fait défaut ou c’est les gens qui la gèrent qui sont dans le champs! 🙄
@hydroquebec my dogs are freezing:(
The Laval fire department is warning people to minimize heavy candle use in their homes because there are fire and carbon-monoxide poisoning risks.
This morning, four people were sent to the hospital for carbon-monoxide related issues, according to Radio-Canada.
#Laval#Montreal#PowerOutage
An update from Hydro-Quebec. pic.twitter.com/6wFQFZH7rk
On a positive note, community centres all over the area have mobilized to help out their neighbours by providing power generators and phone charging services. Some are even offering free water and food.
In Terrebonne, a community centre is open to the public after 5 PM tonight if they need to warm up.
Due to the magnitude of the event and the number of different locations where we need to intervene, we are not able to provide a specific recovery time for your location, but it will take some time, considering the damage.
While there isn't a definite answer from Hydro-Québec, it seems most customers should have power by Thursday morning. This means people who live far north in the Laurentian mountains might be in for a couple of cold, rough nights.
If you're in the affected region, please limit candle use to avoid poisoning and try to stay warm in any way you can. Here's hoping that the power will be restored sooner rather than later.
