“The majority of outages should be resolved by 11 PM [Thursday],” stated François Legault, the Premier of Québec, as the province grappled with a major hydro panne de courant affecting over 115,000 clients of Hydro-Québec. The freezing rain storm that swept through the region caused significant disruptions, with Hydro-Québec reporting a peak of over 215,000 outages across its territory.

As of Thursday noon, approximately 115,000 clients remained without electricity, with the Montérégie region particularly hard hit, where 44,000 residents were affected. Restoration efforts are in full swing, with 2,000 workers, including independent contractors, deployed to restore power to the impacted areas.

By Thursday afternoon, the situation had improved slightly, but over 100,000 households were still without electricity. The freezing rain, while disruptive, was less severe than anticipated compared to previous storms, providing some relief to emergency services and restoration teams.

In the Montreal region, 32 outages were reported, affecting around 10,000 homes, while the Centre-du-Québec region faced 19,928 households without power. The storm brought between 20 to 30 millimeters of freezing rain in the Outaouais area, compounding the challenges faced by utility workers.

In addition to the power outages, an advisory for boiling water was issued in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac due to a power outage at the water treatment plant, highlighting the cascading effects of the storm on essential services.

Louis-Olivier Batty, a spokesperson for Hydro-Québec, noted, “Des dégâts sont nombreux, mais sont assez facilement réparables,” indicating that while damage was widespread, it was manageable and repairable.

As the day progresses, Hydro-Québec remains focused on restoring power to all affected clients, with the expectation that most outages will be resolved by Thursday night. The situation continues to evolve, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Details remain unconfirmed regarding the full extent of the damage and the timeline for complete restoration, but the efforts of the dedicated workers on the ground are crucial in addressing the aftermath of this significant weather event.

Сообщение Hydro panne de courant появились сначала на YourTownNews.