Broken branches, sparks in electrical wires, shivering residents: the ice storm caused damage and inconvenience on the South Shore. No less than 439 911 calls related to the ice storm were made between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning in the Longueuil agglomeration. Authorities do not know when power will be restored.
A dozen residents of HLM Sainte-Rose, in Vieux-Longueuil, were having coffee in the building’s community room, plugged into a generator, Thursday morning.
“The light, the heat, the coffee, it’s much appreciated,” says Norma Clavet, who has lived in this low-cost building for 15 years.
She was a little cold during the night, but that didn’t prevent her from sleeping well. She and the other residents were able to make toast and coffee in the community kitchen. The elevator works thanks to the generator. In short, there is no panic on this day after the ice storm.
“We are monitoring residences for the elderly. Most have a generator,” says Jean Melançon, director of the Longueuil agglomeration fire department.
Municipal authorities and Hydro-Québec are to meet this afternoon to take stock of the planned schedule for restoring power to the South Shore. The City recommends that residents who have had a power outage go to municipal libraries to warm up, work from home or to charge their phones.
“If the current fails for a longer period, we evaluate other more robust measures” to house the affected population, he explains.
The 439 calls to 911 mainly concerned the report of branches fallen on cars or on the roadway, wires hanging from trees or occasional sparks, explains Jean Melançon. Longueuil Public Works also received 596 calls to clear public roads.
Further details will follow.