After a night of pounding rain, hail, and flooding in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Hydro crews are working steadily to restore power to homes and businesses.
The severe storm system, which stalled over the Central Plains late Wednesday and into the early hours Thursday, left its mark with over five inches of rain reported in Portage, widespread street flooding, and hailstones up to the size of a toonie in nearby Oakville.
While most outages were short-lived, dozens of customers remain in the dark as crews continue their efforts.
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Riley McDonald, spokesperson for Manitoba Hydro, notes that, “We did have a number of outages as a result of wind and lightning. At this point right now we've restored about half of the storm-related outages that were reported. Crews are still dealing with individual yard sites and lightning-related outages, but they're mostly smaller, scattered outages in the area.”
Extra help brought in
Heavy rain has made the task more difficult, with saturated ground and standing water slowing the use of large equipment.
Despite this, Manitoba Hydro is reinforcing its response. McDonald adds, “We are bringing in extra crews from Brandon to help with the restoration.”
At the time of the update, only a few dozen customers were still waiting for power.
McDonald remarks, “It's a small number, I believe. Last I checked, it was about 34 customers.”
He mentions that there may have been larger outages overnight, but exact totals are not available.
Hazards from lightning and downed lines
The storm brought both wind and lightning damage across the region, and Hydro is reminding residents to stay clear of hazards.
McDonald continues, “There are a number of lightning-caused outages and that brought down lines. Whether it's lightning or wind, we always like to remind customers, if you see a downed line, stay back at least 10 meters and call 911.”
He also says it is important to keep distance from restoration crews.
“It can sometimes be hard to tell where the hazards are or what the potential safety concerns are. If you see our crews working, we just ask that you please don't approach them while they're working. They're geared up for the job and we want to keep everybody safe.”
Safety comes before speed
Hydro stresses that storm recovery always depends on conditions on the ground.
McDonald notes, “Whether it's a rainstorm, lightning or snow, we can't go out there and start repairing until it's safe to do so. We're at the mercy of the weather in many ways as well as other people. Road travel has to be safe in order for us to get to these places.”
Despite the delays, crews are working around the clock to finish the job.
McDonald remarks, “We appreciate everybody's patience. As always, our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore everyone affected by these outages.”
With more showers and the risk of additional thunderstorms still in the forecast for Thursday, Manitoba Hydro says it is monitoring conditions closely and will continue to prioritize safety while restoring service.
Click here for a current list of hydro outages.
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