NS Power Hurricane Fiona Update
More than a week after Fiona caused unprecedented damage to many parts of Nova Scotia, crews continue to work night and day to remove trees, repair and rebuild lines and poles, in order to restore power to customers. These repairs are complex, can take several crews and several hours, even up to a day, to complete.
More than 1500 people, including power line technicians, damage assessors, forestry technicians and field support are on the ground, with the majority in the northeast and eastern parts of the province, working through the damage safely and as quickly as they can.
“We are working very much at the community level right now,” said Lia MacDonald, Northeast Emergency Operations Centre Lead for NS Power. “Given the extent of the damage crews still face, we expect customers, particularly those in the northeast region, and some in Cape Breton, will see their estimated restoration times change.”
“This has been tough on customers, that isn’t lost on us. Our dedicated crews continue to work in the areas hardest hit,” said Mark Sidebottom, Cape Breton Emergency Operations Centre Lead for NS Power. “As tough as it is, what’s also very evident, is the tremendous support and appreciation our crews are receiving from the communities they are working in. We want to thank communities for the role they are playing whether it’s providing meals to crews, dropping off coffee and baked goods or sharing kind words. From the grocery chains and local restaurants to retail stores and other local businesses, as well as individual community members, we thank you.”
Here are some examples of how communities are showing their support:
QUICK FACTS:
- More than 2200 customers have had their meter masts damaged during Fiona – about four times the number compared to Dorian. We have a team in customer care dedicated to working directly with these customers and supporting them through the repair process.
- If a customer’s electrical equipment is damaged – such as a meter mast – they need a certified electrician to make repairs before NS Power can safely restore power. A list of electrical contractors can be found in link provided.
- In addition to the provincial Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Halifax, there are two satellite EOCs in Truro and Sydney - command centres where we continue to coordinate local plans and resources for the regions.
- There are still lots of lines and wires down. For your own safety please treat them as if they are energized. Stay back the length of a bus and call us and report it right away (1-877-428-6004).
- About 415,000 customers lost power during Fiona, as of this morning (Sunday), more than 385,000 have been restored.
- We encourage customers to watch the outage map for the latest information on their outage: outagemap.nspower.ca
NORTHEAST (Truro/Pictou County/Amherst/Antigonish/Guysborough)
- Over 800 people are on the ground in the northeast region including power line technicians, forestry technicians, damage assessors and field support.
- All hospitals and critical infrastructure have been restored. Our crews continue to focus on areas with extensive damage including the Eastern Shore, Truro, Pictou County, Antigonish, Amherst, North Shore.
- Our satellite Emergency Operations Centre in Truro continues to coordinate plans/resources for the Northeast region of the province.
- Together with the Canadian Armed Forces, the staging site in Pictou County is supporting restoration efforts. This is where we coordinate and dispatch crews – a one stop shop for materials, fuel and food.
- The Canadian Armed Forces and Department of Natural Resources personnel are in the region helping crews remove trees and brush and running supplies.
- Damage in this region is due primarily to broken poles and downed lines due to falling trees, trees on power lines, and trees on roads limiting access and making travel difficult for our crews.
- About 90,000 customers have been affected in this region. As of this morning (Sunday), approximately 77% of customers in the northeast have been restored.
CAPE BRETON
- Over 500 people are on the ground in Cape Breton, including powerline technicians, forestry technicians, damage assessors and field support.
- We now have 100 people focused on power restorations in the areas between Main-a-dieu, Mira, to Forchu today to address the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Fiona.
- All industrial parks and major centres in Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) now have power.
- There are parts of neighborhoods as well as individual customers throughout CBRM that are still out due to extensive damage. We now have crews going street to street to assess and restore power in these areas.
- Our satellite Emergency Operations Centre in Cape Breton continues to coordinate plans/resources for CB.
- The staging site in Sydney supports our restoration efforts. This is where we coordinate and dispatch crews – a one stop shop for materials, fuel and food.
- The Canadian Armed Forces and Department of Natural Resources personnel are on the ground in Cape Breton helping crews remove trees and brush and running supplies.
- Damage in Cape Breton is due primarily to hundreds of broken poles and downed lines due to falling trees, trees on power lines, washed out roads limiting access and making it difficult for our crews to move around.
- More than 65,000 customers have been affected in this region. As of today (Sunday), approximately 89% of customers in Cape Breton have been restored.
HRM (Halifax/Dartmouth/Sackville/Bedford/Windsor/Musquodoboit/Chester)
- Damage in HRM is due primarily to trees coming into contact with power lines, downed lines due to falling trees and trees on roads limiting and making travel difficult for our crews.
- More than 210,000 customers have been affected in this region. As of this morning (Sunday) there are approximately 500 customers to be restored.
- These are more complex restorations that take much longer and require multiple crews.
Media Contact:
Jacqueline Foster
NSP Senior Communications Advisor 902-225-4735
Jacqueline.foster@nspower.ca
