1,134,426 Canadians face power outages due to freezing rain
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Freezing rain and strong winds leave over a million Canadians without power amid an April storm.
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Fallen tree branches are shown on a street following an accumulation of ice rain in Montreal, April 5, 2023. (AP)
About 1,134,426 Canadian residents were left without power, on Wednesday, due to freezing rain and strong winds, according to PowerOutage.ca, a Canadian data portal.
In the province of Quebec, the portal data showed that 962,646 people were affected by the outages, while in Ontario, the numbers reached approximately 168,559 residents, and in British Columbia, there were 2,828 Canadians affected and 321 in New Brunswick, as well as 72 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The CBC explained that on Wednesday, freezing rain and strong winds were reported across Montreal and the Southern part of the province, while warnings were issued for all of eastern Ontario.
Hydro Ottawa, the power company, explained that despite continued efforts by its crew to restore power, the weather conditions have slowed down the process.
Crews will continue to work overnight to prep and clean sites as part of the restoration efforts. ETRs will be updated on our map as new information comes in from the field & fresh crews joining in. Twitter updates will resume in the a.m. For updates: https://t.co/8UJsiG0aoI pic.twitter.com/rUatXohV3t
— Hydro Ottawa (@hydroottawa) April 6, 2023
According to the company's statement, "The situation continues to fluctuate and conditions are very poor and unsafe as a result of bad road conditions, ice build-up and downed trees and power lines in many areas of the city," adding, "The safety of our crews and the public remains our top priority.
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