Power to remain out until next Friday for some on P.E.I.
Some on Prince Edward Island will be without power for another week, meaning some Islanders will have been without electricity for three-quarters of a month.
The latest estimate from Maritime Electric, the Island’s main power utility, shows electricity won’t be completely restored until Oct. 14.
Thousands of people have already been in the dark for two weeks.
Restoration efforts are taking four to five times longer than after Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
“It’s taking longer than they had anticipated,” said Maritime Electric spokesperson Kim Griffin. “Sometimes the damage is worse. Sometimes they might need more poles, or they may need just additional spans of wire. It just depends, but on average, that’s how much longer it’s taking.”
There was some confusion on the Island late Thursday, when the outage map, which had dropped to nearly 8,000, suddenly jumped to about 11,000.
“We drove around P.E.I. with our metre readers and started to take that information, and try to ping to try to figure out if we were accurate in our estimates for individual outages,” said Griffin. “What we’ve been able to find out is that we had more individual outages than we thought we had.”
The vast majority of about 9,000 remaining outages are individual outages, just a few people or even just a single house without power.
“It’s the opposite of Dorian,” said Griffin. “We had bigger numbers on the transmission side and were able to get them back on, but now it’s taking us longer on the individual side.”
Perhaps surprising, a home in Charlottetown, that sustained significant damage, still has power.
“The front mess is obvious, other than that she’s fine,” said Jim Farrell, speaking about his mother-in-law’s home. “She didn’t lose power, well, we all lost power, but she didn’t have any long-standing issues with it.”
Farrell didn’t get off so easy, his home hasn’t been plugged into the grid since the storm. It’s the only one left on his street, but he does have a generator.
He’s lived in the house for 35 years, and says he’s never seen anything like this.
“Longest power we ever had out maybe was, maybe, 12-15 hours, somewhere in there,” said Farrell. “Certainly not two weeks.”
The provincial Emergency Measures Organization issued a warning Friday afternoon that messy weather this weekend could knock down more trees and blow existing debris into roadways. That could further set back restoration efforts.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.