Power Outages Hit Southwestern Ontario After Storm

Many residents in southwestern Ontario are facing power outages after thunderstorms swept through the area on Wednesday, bringing down power lines and uprooting trees and branches.

Hydro One’s outage map indicated scattered outages in rural regions outside of London and Kitchener, including Blyth, Komoka, Dorchester, south of St. Marys and Stratford, as well as northeast of Guelph on Thursday morning.

Nearly 90,000 people across the province were without electricity on Thursday, according to Hydro One. The severe weather from Wednesday resulted in strong winds that caused tree limbs and branches to crash onto power lines.

In a notice posted on its website, Hydro One stated it is working to address the outages caused by the thunderstorms as quickly and safely as possible.

No running water, cancelled appointments

For 90-year-old Leonard Lesser, this means no running water or toilet facilities since 4:30 p. m. on Canada Day. He also has no way to cool off from the heat.

“We didn’t sleep all night,” said Lesser, who resides in Dorchester, just east of London. He mentioned that temperatures inside his house have reached about 28 C.

“When your hydro goes out in the country, you have no water supply because you have the hydro to take from your well.”

Lesser mentioned that he and his wife were kindly invited to a stranger’s home at the grocery store where they could cool off and enjoy a home-cooked meal.

Hydro Ones says about 89,000 customers have faced power outages today across Ontario. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

A matinee performance of Sisters of ’78 at Blyth Festival in Huron County had to be called off due to the storm’s impact, leading ticket holders to reschedule their visits.

Cynthia Penn in Komoka, just west of London, is experiencing cancellations at her massage clinic because some clients can’t make it due to the outage.

The owner of Komoka Massage Therapy noted that while she has a backup generator for her business, there is no air conditioning available in the building.

“The lights are on; everything’s fine but there is no AC. It’s starting just to get warmer and warmer,” she explained. “It’s not good. I’ve had a few people cancel.”

Penn is uncertain if they will be able to stay open much longer if repairs aren’t made soon. She shared that she’s heard some locals are taking drives in their cars just to find relief from the heat.

“I am hoping it will come back on,” she said. “We might not be able to work later as it gets hotter and hotter.”

There’s a lot of people who are going to be sweating.- Brian Young

Brian Young owns Ultimate Rink and Party Supply Co., located south of Stratford in Saint Pauls Station. He reported that his power went out during yesterday evening’s storm while he was attending a party; since then he’s been relying on his generator.

This morning he woke up realizing his generator was still running because power hadn’t been restored yet.

“We’re lucky to be able to continue on with our day,” he remarked.

“Let’s just say we’re in a situation where we got power; we’re cool; air conditioning is on; but there’s a lot of people who are going to be sweating.”

How to prepare for outages

Bianca Pizzo, a spokesperson for Hydro One said once crews learn about an outage they will evaluate the damage before estimating how long restoration will take.

The restoration timeframe varies between Thursday afternoon through Friday. Hydro One aims at restoring power quickly for as many customers as possible first when working through outages she added.

The estimated time for restoration may change based on what crews find when they arrive onsite regarding additional damage or necessary repairs needed.

They recommend keeping an emergency kit ready for extended outages with items like batteries, blankets, drinking water , canned food for both humans and pets , along with cash , according to Pizzo.

“Inclement weather might be coming through , so it’s essential to ensure all your devices are fully charged.”

Please stay at least 10 meters away from any fallen power lines. If you’re using a generator , make sure it’s outside far enough from windows or ventilation areas.

If anyone needs information regarding cooling centers during an outage , they can call 211 , Pizzo stated.

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