Update: As of 3 p.m., Nova Scotia Power has restored power to 243,000 customers – working through the night and through storm conditions, when it was safe to do so. Approximately 37,000 customers remain without power of the 280,000 who lost service yesterday (THURSDAY) and today.
A severe wind storm bringing hurricane force winds upwards of 140 kilometres per hour continues to sweep across the province this morning causing a multitude of power outages. There are currently 125,000 customers without power due to damage to the electricity system brought on by extreme winds. Approximately 155,000 customers have been restored since the storm began yesterday. “As predicted, this storm was very powerful, causing significant damage and disruptions across the province,” says Stephen Pothier, Nova Scotia Power’s storm lead. “We prepared extensively, calling in crews from as far away as Quebec and Ontario, and we have been restoring customer outages throughout the province since early yesterday, when safe to do so.” More than 1,000 people continue to be dedicated to storm response today, including frontline powerline and forestry crews, damage assessors, planners, engineers, support staff, and customer care representatives. Crews will continue to safely work as quickly as possible on restorations. When winds are gusting above 80 kilometres per hour, crews will make on-site assessments if they need to pause restoration efforts and stand down for safety. “Today we are focused on fully understanding the extent of damage to our system and making a plan for restoration, with the first priority on restoring emergency situations and larger customer outages,” said Pothier. In situations where there are multiple power outages, Nova Scotia Power restores power in phases to ensure critical services like hospitals can stay open before beginning work in other areas. Larger outages on transmission lines and in substations are restored ahead of smaller outages to restore electricity to the greatest number of customers. Customers are asked to report outages to Nova Scotia Power at 1-877-428-6004 and to get the latest Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) online at outagemap.nspower.ca or by calling 1-877-428-6004. Please note ETR’s are based on the best available information at the time and are subject to change as more information on the extent of damage in each area is known. Nova Scotia Power customer service centres in Kentville, Chester, Stellarton and Shelburne, as well as our head office in Halifax, are open as comfort centres from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Customers who’ve lost power can warm up, have some coffee or hot chocolate, and recharge their devices. The specific locations are: • Kentville – 3 Calkin Drive • Chester – 96 Valley Road • Stellarton – 26 Bridge Avenue • Shelburne – 261 Ohio Road • Halifax – 1223 Lower Water Street Additional comfort centres available across the province will be added to the list at nspower.ca as they become known.
Your safety is the number one priority. If you see a downed wire, please stay away and report it to us at 1-877-428-6004. If you are concerned about an immediate public or personal safety risk, please call 911. Customers can find a complete list of safety tips on the Nova Scotia Power website at nspower.ca/outagecentre.
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Source: Media Release
