The ice storm that plunged 1.1 million Quebecers into darkness on Wednesday evening is of a “totally different order of magnitude” from the crisis that occurred in 1998, considers Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, who expects the third of subscribers will be back on within 24 hours.
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“We think it will be under control very quickly,” said the Minister of Energy, taking stock of the situation with his colleague in Public Security, François Bonnardel, at the National Assembly.
“For the remaining two-thirds, obviously we are working very hard for the weekend,” he said.
Around 9 a.m. Thursday morning, authorities reported about 2,100 breakdowns. More than 1,100 workers, including those from Hydro-Québec, neighboring provinces and several subcontractors were at work.
Of all customers without electricity, half are in the greater Montreal area. “The good news is that of these outages, about 25% affect 1,000 subscribers or more,” said Mr. Fitzgibbon. The “very high concentration” of outages therefore allows Hydro-Québec to intervene at strategic locations, by reconnecting several customers at the same time.
Precautions
Prime Minister François Legault set off for Montreal on Thursday morning. He should take stock in turn during the afternoon, on the sidelines of a visit to the head office of Hydro-Québec.
“Currently, there is no major emergency on the territory,” assured in turn the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel.
Messages to those who are currently without electricity and who could still be for several hours: “it is not the time to go camping at home”, insisted Mr. Bonnardel, warning against gas appliances, which some might be tempted to use to keep warm.
“Now is not the time to take risks,” said Mr. Bonnardel.
Given the weather cocktail of the past few hours, two rivers are currently under surveillance, the Acadie and Châteauguay rivers, reported the Minister.
“The situation is not worrying, but under surveillance,” said the member for Granby.
Two temporary reception centers have been set up, one in Cantley, in Outaouais, and another in Laval. Those in need can refer to their municipality for more information.