Most P.E.I. residents without power two days after Fiona
Tens of thousands of Islanders are still without power two days after Fiona battered Prince Edward Island.
At last count, about 75,000 homes and businesses are without electricity. To put that in perspective, there’s only about 160,000 people living on P.E.I.
Ten thousand customers have had power restored since the height of the storm, including 4,500 customers Monday morning. However, the focus remains on critical areas.
“The assessments are still ongoing, and will go into the days, but certainly we’re prioritizing the needs of our critical infrastructure sites,” said Tanya Mullally, PEI Emergency Measures Organization Director. “Such as hospitals, schools, grocery stores, gas stations, to make sure that they’re powered up.”
There are 89 crews in the field. That number is expected to grow to 107 by Wednesday.
According to Maritime Electric spokesperson Kim Griffin, this is the biggest restoration effort in the history of the utility, worse than even Hurricane Juan.
“But the sheer devastation on Prince Edward Island, I’m not sure if others can match that, with all due respect, said Griffin. “I think that the significant amount of damage that we’ve had across the province is the worst storm I’ve ever seen.”
A small silver lining, major infrastructure, like transmission lines and substations, seem to have fared better than in Dorian.
However, there is still no timeline on when regular residential neighbourhoods will see power return.
“The sheer magnitude of the trees that are down on our lines, our crews are sometimes having problems just trying to access the different sites as it is,” said Griffin.
Comfort centres are open across province. The weather is relatively mild, so most people are using the centres to recharge devices and connect to Wi-Fi.
“The top priority right now is getting the lights back on,” said Darlene Compton, P.E.I. Public Safety Minister. “That’s the backbone of when we can make significant progress in getting a province back on its feet.”
Power outages are now the biggest drivers of fuel shortages on the island. Though power was returned to a major fuel depot in Charlottetown Sunday, many gas stations are still without power, so there just aren’t enough places to get fuel.
Along with those power outages come problems with cell service and with data coverage. Maritime Electric says there’s a specific plan to focus on restoring power to cell towers to get cell coverage and data coverage back up as soon as possible.
Cell coverage on the island is still spotty, but there is a noticeable difference from Sunday to Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.