Thunder Bay Hydro crews are struggling to keep up with the countless reports of downed power lines.
The first reported power outage happened just before 10 a.m. Friday between the Harbour Expressway and north of Government Road and impacted 1,800 Thunder Bay Hydro customers. Hydro crews were quick to respond but it’s expected that other parts of the city will experience power outages throughout the day.
Thunder Bay Hydro spokeswoman Eileen Dias said the main culprit is the strong wind that’s being blown.
“Our crews are out there and they are prioritizing the restoration based on safety and the number of customers affected,” she said.
“As long as the winds are sustained, we can expect outages to continue. I think this (storm) is going to get a bit of a prize. There’s no question that this is a good one and we’ve been talking about how storm free we have been.”
Dias said they aren’t counting how many people are being affected as they are focusing all their resources on ensuring that crews respond to calls.
She added their entire fleet is out.
“It’s all hands on deck,” she said.
Dias urges anyone who sees a downed power line to call 911 and report anything suspicious such as a tree hitting a line to Thunder Bay Hydro by calling 343-1002.
