(Montreal) As promised, Hydro-Québec was able to restore power Sunday evening to at least 95% of its customers plunged into darkness since Wednesday’s ice storm, even if some Quebecers will have to resign themselves to waiting longer .
After the day on Monday, “almost all” of the homes will have found electricity, said Régis Tellier, vice-president of operations and maintenance for Hydro-Québec, during a press conference Sunday, in Montreal. According to him, priority customers such as private residences for seniors and CHSLDs have all been restored.
Mr. Tellier could not guarantee that everyone will have power again on Monday, because it remained impossible for him to estimate the extent of the damage before having them in front of him.
Monday around 5 a.m., there were 40,302 customers of the state-owned company without electricity. The Montreal region remained the most affected with 24,485 customers affected.
The other regions still affected by outages were Outaouais (6060), Montérégie (5427) and Laval (3194).
Régis Tellier warned that the pace of recovery would slow from Sunday. “We keep the same pace, he says, but when we fall into the secondary sections, it’s the same effort, but few customers. »
On Sunday, 1,500 workers were in the field and 40% of them worked in Montreal.
Carbon monoxide poisoning
For its part, Urgences-santé has intervened with 115 Montrealers and 39 Laval residents for carbon monoxide poisoning since the start of the crisis, according to spokesperson Julie Gaulin. Of this number, 126 people were transported to a hospital, but none in a condition giving rise to fear for their lives.
On the other hand, the death of a 75-year-old man was found at the Saint-Eustache hospital, north of Montreal. He had been found unconscious in his residence in Saint-Joseph-Du-Lac, while there was a generator working in the garage.
Poisoning occurs when you operate a fuel-burning device designed for the outdoors, such as a barbecue or certain heaters, inside your home. The device then produces carbon monoxide, which is stored in the air.
This toxic gas is invisible and smells nothing. It can cause headaches, dizziness, fatigue, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness or even death.
Special measures
Asked about the possibility of Hydro-Québec offering some form of compensation to customers affected by outages, Energy System Control Director Maxime Nadeau indicated that “most of the time, this is something we let’s look after the event. […] I can’t answer that question right now.”
Telephone providers such as Bell, Telus, Fizz and Videotron have announced in the last few days that they will not charge customers who have exceeded their mobile data plan, under various conditions.
The government recalled that more than 100 emergency centers have opened their doors in the most affected regions, in order to allow people for whom the blackout is prolonged to go to warm up, eat and recharge their electronic devices.