Phone and internet service restoration still a priority in P.E.I. after Fiona
Nine days after Hurricane Fiona battered Prince Edward Island, tens of thousands remain without power, but with so many downed lines, electricity isn’t the only thing that needs to be fixed.
Phone and internet connections have been severed for many as well. Just after the storm, many parts of the island were completely without service.
Restoration work has been going on since shortly after the storm passed. Some of that early work was focused on restoring power to cell towers.
Bell Canada's President and CEO joined other senior leaders in getting a first-hand look at the damage today.
“This is the largest hurricane to hit Canada,” said Glen LeBlanc, BCE and Bell Canada Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chair, Atlantic Canada. “I spoke to a technician here in P.E.I. today who’s been with us 47 years, and the extent of the damage is unprecedented.”
Some never lost cell service. The main tower in Charlottetown has a pair of emergency generators, and they power the core of Bell telecom infrastructure on the island in case of a power outage.
Without them, phone and internet from the Bell network would have been down for the whole island.
Spotty coverage in the network after the storm was caused mainly by a lack of power to 138 of the company’s 1,100 towers.
“At the height of the storm, we would’ve had materially more sites out because they lost power,” said LeBlanc. “The very first step is the restoration of power, so once we're cleared by the power corporation that it’s safe for our technicians to enter, they will begin starting generators, and that’s why cellular service comes up fairly rapidly.”
There are still about 49 towers damaged by the storm which aren’t yet at 100 per cent, mainly sustaining damage to the antenna or fibre optic cables at the sites.
The major bottleneck in phone and internet restoration now is power restoration. Trees need to be cleared and line crews need to assess and repair damage before telecommunications workers can start their jobs.
“The fact that we were able to bring as many people back online as fast as we had is remarkable,” said LeBlanc. “Again, thanks to our people.”
At the supper hour, 20,000 homes and businesses on P.E.I. were still without electricity.
The majority of those are expected to have power back by Monday night, but some with significant damage will be out even longer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Drone footage shows Ukrainian village battered to ruins as residents flee Russian advance
The Ukrainian village of Ocheretyne has been battered by fighting, drone footage obtained by The Associated Press shows. The village has been a target for Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Egypt media cite progress in truce talks as Israel downplays chances of end to war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in ongoing cease-fire talks with Israel while an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war.
Bystander livestreams during Charlotte standoff show an ever-growing appetite for social media video
Saing Chhoeun was locked out of his Charlotte, N.C., home on Monday as law enforcement with high-powered rifles descended into his yard and garage, using a car as a shield as they were met with a shower of gunfire from the direction of his neighbor's house.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.