‘I just saw a wall of wind and water coming over me.’
article material
London Hydro says around 2,500 Londoners were without power on Sunday morning after a violent storm hit south-west Ontario a day earlier – and it could take up to 24 hours for service to be fully restored.
Ad 2
article material
The widespread blackout – which affected 32,000 people across the city at one point – is the result of heavy rain and high winds that hit London shortly before noon on Saturday, a storm that toppled trees and power lines.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were still 60 outages across London.
According to London Hydro’s outage map, the most affected area appears to be the Old East Village, but neighborhoods such as Lambeth, Oakridge, South London and Glen Cairn also had pockets without electricity.
Evan Reed, who lives at the corner of Elias and Elizabeth Streets, described a chaotic scene as strong winds swept down his street on Saturday and damaged several trees within seconds.
“We were seeing the clouds coming because it was all black, and shortly after I just felt a drop and then I saw a wall of air and water coming towards us,” he said.
Ad 3
article material
“The wind blew I’d probably say about it . . . five minutes, but as soon as the wind blew, the damage was done in less than 30 seconds.
Reid said that he and several neighbors came out after the storm had passed and used axes, machete and “whatever we could” to clear the intersection on Elias and Elizabeth Streets, which was riddled with tree branches and debris. was blocked from
“Frankly, it was scary, but thankfully everyone was good,” he said.
Maitland Street resident Alma Oude went out with her husband on Sunday morning to survey damage from the storm, which included a century-old house at the corner of Hyman and Waterloo Streets, whose porch was damaged by a fallen tree had gone. ,
The storm was “much stronger than I expected (but) we felt like we were the epicenter when you saw the amount of damage,” she said. “I know it was more extensive, but yes, I’m surprised at the amount of damage.”
Ad 4
article material
Spokesperson Nancy Hutton said all available London Hydro crew were working round the clock to restore service. He also reminded people to stay away from power lines.
Elsewhere in Ontario, officials were reporting several deaths as a result of the storm:
- OPP reported that one person was killed and two others were injured when a tree fell on a camping trailer south-east of Pinehurst Lake, London, close to the city of Air.
- Gatineau police said a 51-year-old woman was killed when her boat capsized in the Ottawa River near Mason-Angers, Ky. During Saturday’s storm.
- Ontario Provincial Police said a 44-year-old man in Greater Madawaska, west of Ottawa, was reportedly killed after being struck by a falling tree, while police in Ottawa said one person was killed in the west end of the city. But she did not release any further details.
- Peel Regional Police said a 70-year-old woman died after a tree fell while walking in Brampton, west of Toronto.
- Township of Uxbridge, Ontario. A local state of emergency was declared after the storm caused significant damage to the community.
In the London area, Environment Canada is calling for gloomy skies on Sunday, but sun and high temperatures of 17°C for the holiday Monday.
with canadian press files
Twitter.com/JuhaatLFPress
Advertisement
