Picking up fallen branches on public roads in Montreal will continue day and night all Easter weekend. More than 500 City crews are busy clearing streets and sidewalks, including some secondary arteries that have been blocked for two days by the largest ice storm in 25 years.
“Even if it’s the Easter weekend, the majority of the boroughs will have staff 24 hours a day. We will continue to work hard. There is a lot of work to be done collecting branches, pruning and cutting trees,” said Philippe Sabourin, City spokesperson.
The City is asking people not to go to the parks due to the extent of the damage caused by Wednesday’s storm. The ice storm broke hundreds of trees. The floor of the parks is strewn with dead wood. Some branches that fell on cars parked along the streets have not yet been removed by pruners.
Accommodation centers
Friday afternoon, nearly half a million residences remained without power in Quebec – the majority on the island of Montreal. Seven shelters are ready to welcome Montrealers who have not had electricity for 48 hours for the night of April 7.
Only 15 families slept in municipal accommodation centers overnight Thursday, but the City anticipates welcoming more victims due to the cold weather expected on Friday.
“We encourage people to come to the shelters,” says Martin Guilbault, division chief at the Montreal Fire Department. Victims can charge their phones and have free access to warm beds, meals and coffee.
“The children were starting to get bored with us without electricity, without their tablets and without wifi,” says Soumia Mounaji, who came with her four daughters to the accommodation center in the Saint-Michel district, rue de Louvain Est.
“It was a bit cold, but you get used to it. It’s still a great experience. We have food. I imagine those who are at war or homeless, they are going through a real ordeal, ”adds the mother.
13 degrees in the house
Even after two days without power, the victims seem to be taking life on the bright side. In Longueuil, the City has opened the Colisée Jean-Béliveau for people who want to warm up, charge their devices or take a shower. Friday morning, four citizens were in the entrance hall of the building to get out of their house invaded by the cold.
“It’s 13 degrees here, it’s starting to get chilly,” said Nicole Naud, plugging her phone into one of the sockets accessible to the public.
She and her husband can’t wait for their house to be reconnected to the Hydro-Québec network, but they keep smiling: “It’s just cold, that’s all. The couple hope that the electricity will be back in time to receive their children at Easter.
Outside, four people are doing tai chi, facing the sun. Slowly. Eyes half closed. Sniffing the spring air.