At a time when Quebec is shivering under freezing temperatures, the Attikameks of the community of Manawan are without electricity once again.
• Read also: A new shelter for homeless Indigenous people
• Read also: Up to -30 degrees due to an extreme cold wave in Quebec
In Manawan, in 2015, 107 hours of power outages were recorded, the equivalent of 4 days, while in medium-sized cities in Quebec, it is 30 minutes.
The outage, which began around 3:45 a.m. on Thursday night, began when the temperature felt was approaching -45 degrees Celsius.
The situation is all the more frustrating since winter breakdowns occur repeatedly in this Aboriginal community and not all the inhabitants have a wood stove.
“My little thing in these moments, the time we can install a generator, is to light several small candles in the house,” explains Thérèse Niquay, resident of Manawan.
Accustomed to power outages in winter, Ms. Niquay always has a small kit on hand containing her candles and flashlights.
“It’s not funny. We develop survival mechanisms around that. We are still equipped with the means at hand since we live in the forest. Small appliances, camping stoves, but it’s risky. You always have to be careful when using these devices,” she adds.
Another mechanism to conserve heat: place blankets in the windows and dress the children as if they were outside.
“As they say, we put on as many layers as possible on our backs, and warm shoes,” adds the lady.
Some poorly insulated houses, but also the poorest people in the community are worrying, but Ms. Niquay assures that people support each other.
Worse still, open since late fall, the new seniors’ home had to be evacuated and the elderly were relocated to their families.
“It’s a nice house, but because of a breakdown like that, they have to be taken somewhere else! We would have planned for dual energy or something like that!”, deplores Ms. Niquay.
Hydro-Quebec’s reaction
Called to react to the situation, Hydro-Québec spokesperson Cendrix Bouchard was not able to give many details on the situation experienced on site.
“However, it must be understood that in highly wooded territory, breakdowns will most often be caused by vegetation, it represents a danger,” he briefly explained.
The power outage was caused by the simple breaking of a power pole. Electricity should be restored around 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.