Restoration efforts in full force following Post Tropical Storm Lee
HALIFAX – More than 800 people are working in communities across Nova Scotia to restore power, and more are on the way, after Post Tropical Storm Lee whipped across Nova Scotia Saturday.
As restoration continues, the focus today is assessing the damage across the province. Helicopters and drones are being used to patrol lines and crews will also be doing foot patrols.
Significant tropical storm winds impacted the province for almost 24 hours yesterday with winds above 90km an hour in most parts of the province for the entire day, and over 125km in the metro area. Those winds continued throughout the evening Saturday and overnight in some areas. Damage from the tropical storm force winds and heavy rain ranges from broken power poles and uprooted trees, to downed power lines, localized flooding and road closures.
“As wind gusts went below 80km an hour, crews were able to go up in buckets and restore power, however, there’s no question Lee was a major storm that created unsafe conditions that slowed restoration efforts,” said Matt Drover, NS Power Storm Lead. “We’ve been getting an even better look at the damage since daylight, and now everyone is focusing their efforts on making the necessary repairs and getting the power back on safely for customers as quickly as possible.”
About 277,000 customers were affected by the significant winds causing trees to come down on powerlines. Amid some very challenging conditions Saturday, crews were able to restore power to approximately 170,000 customers and we expect to get a significant amount more back on today.
The western part of the province (South Shore, Tri-County and Annapolis Valley), the metro area as well as Truro and New Glasgow in the Northeast were hardest hit by the storm. Winds reached over 100km/hour in most of the west and the northeast area of the province and over 120km/hour in parts of Halifax Regional Municipality.
“It’s important to keep safety top of mind for all Nova Scotians as restoration and cleanup continues from Post Tropical Storm Lee,” said Drover. “There may be downed power lines and if you see them we ask that you please keep your distance and call NS Power or 911 to report them right away.”
Customers are encouraged to keep an eye on our outage map at http://outagemap.nspower.ca for the latest information and estimated restoration times. Once crews are able to assess the damage, those estimates are updated with more accurate restoration times.
QUICK FACTS:
- Please treat all downed power lines as if they are energized. Keep your distance and call and report it right away (1-877-428-6004).
- If a customer’s electrical equipment is damaged – such as a meter mast – a certified electrician will be need to make repairs before NS Power can safely restore power. A list of electrical contractors can be found in link provided.
- More information on restoration phases can be found at: http://nspower.ca/storm.
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About Nova Scotia Power
Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Emera Inc. (TSX-EMA), a diversified energy and services company. Nova Scotia Power provides 95% of the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical power to approximately 540,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across Nova Scotia. The company is focused on new technologies to enhance customer service and reliability, reduce emissions and add renewable energy. Nova Scotia Power has over 2000 employees and $4.5 billion in operating assets. Learn more at www.nspower.ca.
Contact:
Jacqueline Foster
NSP Senior Communications Advisor
902-225-4735
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