Yet another summer storm smashed through the National Capital Wednesday night and early Thursday, flooding residential area, bringing down trees and cutting power to thousands of homes.
As of 8 a.m., Hydro Ottawa was reporting around 8,000 customers without power, mostly in Knoxdale-Merivale, College, and Bay wards, which were also among the hardest hit during the July 1 storm.
“Clearly, Mother Nature or some other authority has an issue with Ward 8 and Ward 9. What more should the storm-beaten, electricity-deprived residents of Knoxdale-Merivale Ward and College Ward be expected to put up with?” asked Coun. Sean Devine in a Facebook post overnight.
Devine posted several photos of downed trees, ponding, and damaged hydro infrastructure in his ward on social media and said he’s received at least one report of basement flooding.
In an online report Thursday, Hydro Ottawa said crews had made cleanup and restoration progress through the but “there are still some damaged areas with heavy vegetation and limited access.”
“Because these areas are difficult to access, it is not possible to provide a full assessment of the infrastructure damage.
“For your safety, always stay at least 10 meters (33 feet) away from downed power lines and any objects they are touching, such as trees, vehicles, or fences, which could be electrified.”
“To report a power outage, please use our online tool, the Hydro Ottawa mobile app, text “OUT” to PWROUT (797688), or call our 24/7 outage line at (613) 738-0188.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada reported 21.9 millimetres of rain was recorded at the airport on Wednesday, bringing the month’s total to 104.8 mm. The monthly average rainfall for August is around 79 mm.
Maximum wind gusts of 107 km/h were also recorded on Wednesday. By comparison, the maximum wind gusts on Canada Day were 71 km/h.
Across the river, Hydro Quebec was reporting more than 8,000 customers in the Outaouais region without power as of Thursday morning, more than 7,000 of them in the Aylmer sector.
On Thursday morning, Environment Canada posted a rare “Yellow” warning for possible heavy fog conditions, but it was cancelled later in the morning without further incident.
More to come
