Thousands still without power a week after Fiona hit P.E.I.
A week after post-tropical storm Fiona devastated Prince Edward Island, tens of thousands of Islanders are still without power.
A total of about 34,000 homes and businesses are still without electricity, since it first went out last Friday.
Work to restore power has been slow, with crews facing challenges from what’s estimated to be thousands of trees down across the province.
"Record numbers of crews are here from across Canada and have been added to try to work through this as fast as we can, as fast as possible," said Premier Dennis King, "But we do know that some will remain without power for at least another 48 or 72 hours."
That puts power restoration for most Islanders done by Monday night however, that does not include over 1,000 households with damage to the lines running from the power pole to their house, which could be without electricity much longer.
"We were in to 10, 11 days during Dorian, on those individual outages," said Kim Griffin, Maritime Electric spokesperson. "So that’s one person at your house, one customer, one household."
More than 200 crews are in the province now, with dozens more still expected, and Griffin says the extra crews will stay here until all islanders have their power restored.
The priority remains critical infrastructure, like hospitals, seniors’ homes, gas stations, and grocery stores, as well as people's homes.
"We are first focusing on primary residences where trees and debris are a safety concern or access to their property is not yet available," said King.
Work is underway to replace the 531 poles broken in the storm, and Maritime Electric estimates they will be able to restore power to about 6,500 homes and businesses a day.
Progress moves unevenly because of varying damage and impact. Serious damage to lines that feed a small number of homes are lower down the list than problems which can be fixed quickly and will restore many people.
Comfort centres have been open since shortly after the storm passed, The province has also promised financial aid for those who lost food, suffered extensive damage, or could not work.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.