Peterborough declares state of emergency after storm, more than 98,000 still without power
Posted May 25, 2022 11:43 am.
Last Updated May 25, 2022 12:15 pm.
The City of Peterborough is the latest municipality to declare a state of emergency following a devastating weekend storm that resulted in extensive damage, leaving more than 150,000 Ontario customers still without hydro.
On Wednesday, mayor Diane Therrien confirmed that the city had submitted a declaration of a state of emergency to the province as Hydro One officials continue to work to restore power for thousands of residents.
“The storm is causing extreme pressure on City of Peterborough public works, forestry, and waste collection services,” city officials said in a news release. “Crews are doing their best to address storm damage and respond to the increased volume of material.”
“City crews are prioritizing requests for service related to downed trees along streets and sidewalks,” city officials continued. “With the extent of the damage, there is a significant backlog. Residents are asked to refrain from calling more than once to report a location. Requests are logged and prioritized.”
Hydro One says that due to the severity of the damage, restoration efforts are expected to continue for several days before power is restored to all customers. More than 98,000 Hydro One customers are still without power.
RELATED: Clean-up continues after Ontario storm leaves 10 dead, thousands without power
“Damage includes downed power lines, over 1,600 broken poles, countless downed trees and large branches on power lines as well as damage to five transmission towers in the Ottawa and Peterborough area,” Hydro One says on its website.
Environment Canada confirmed to CityNews that an EF-2 tornado did touch down in Uxbridge on Saturday, leaving widespread damage.
Clean-up & repairs well underway in Uxbridge but four days after confirmed EF2 tornado hit downtown area still littered with debris/busted trees. Over 6000 people in Durham Region still have no electricity after Saturday’s storm. Three schools remain closed incl Uxbridge PS pic.twitter.com/6RAkTrvtJp
— carl hanstke (@carlCityNews) May 25, 2022
According to Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP), a storm survey team investigated damage caused by the storm in southern Ontario, revealing that a “particularly intense downburst, not a tornado,” was responsible for the destruction as wind speeds reached a maximum of 190 km/h.
At least ten people died, and three communities declared states of emergency after the storm that down trees, brought down power lines and damaged property.
In Durham Region, three schools remain closed due to the storm’s impact, while five others reopened today after power was restored.
With files from The Canadian Press
