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Following a violent thunderstorm that passed through the national capital area, in Ottawa, Canada, cleanup efforts are underway to remove fallen trees, damaged buildings, and houses and businesses that lost power as a result of the storm.
At 6:30am, Hydro Ottawa, the local supplier of electricity across the Canadian capital, stated that 4,600 customers were still without power, with the Mooney’s Bay, Westboro, Woodpark, McKellar Park, McKellar Heights, and Woodroffe districts still experiencing significant blackouts, CTV News reported.
“While the worst of the weather has passed, and several customers have been restored, Hydro Ottawa advises that this is a multi-day restoration situation due to the extent of the damage from downed power lines and trees,” Hydro Ottawa said in a statement.
“At this time, there are still some larger pockets of customers without power, as well as many smaller areas affected that will, unfortunately, take longer for hydro crews to reach.
“Priority is placed on repairs that pose serious safety hazards first, and restoring power to critical infrastructure such as emergency services, hospitals, water and sewage treatment plants, schools and larger neighbourhoods of customers, followed by smaller impacted areas,” the statement continued.
Hydro One reported over 24,000 customers without power in Orleans, Cumberland, Clarence-Rockland, and Fournier areas after Friday’s storm while Hydro Quebec reported 7,000 customers without power in Gatineau and 2,000 in Papineau.
However, power was restored on Saturday morning.
Environment Canada issued severe thunderstorm watches and warnings for Ottawa and eastern Ontario, predicting large hail and wind gusts up to 90 km/h along with a tornado warning briefly issued for Ottawa.
Meanwhile, residents reported strong winds, hail, and rain in west Ottawa, forcing drivers on the Queensway to slow down due to hail, heavy rains, and reduced visibility.
Ottawa experienced damage from hail and storms, causing damage to trees and properties.
Residents reported large pieces of hail and damaged street signs along Riverside Drive. The storm knocked down tree branches on several streets, including a giant tree falling onto a car along Fisher Avenue.
“Just as I was driving by I saw the branches blocking Fisher Avenue,” Ian Lawford said, noting the tree also knocked down hydro wires.
The Ottawa Redblacks game was also delayed by an hour due to heavy rain, while Hamilton Tiger-Cats won 16-12.
Additionally, large hail the size of golf balls was reported in Luskville, Quebec, and Gatineau where city officials warned that tree branches could potentially fall onto roads and properties. Although the crews have already begun their cleanup, no injuries have been reported so far.
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