In Canada, more than 400,000 consumers were left without power due to an ice storm that covered northern Ontario over the weekend. A state of emergency has been declared in a number of municipalities, informs CBC News.
Most outages were recorded in the central and eastern regions of the province, and restoration of power supply may take several days. Among the worst affected areas are Barrie, Orillia, Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough and Kingston.
According to Environment Canada, ice thickness in some locations reached 25 mm in Lindsay, 20 mm in Peterborough, 19 mm in Orillia and 15 mm in Barrie.
Meteorologist Kristina Kretchman from the Ministry of Environmental Protection noted that the bad weather led to large-scale destruction:
“There were many reports of downed trees, branches, unfortunately some of them hit infrastructure such as houses or power poles.”
Several communities have declared a state of emergency in an attempt to cope with the effects of the natural disaster – large-scale power outages, tree debris and difficult road conditions. A state of emergency was declared in Peterborough on Sunday, and four reception points, two of which are open 24 hours a day, have been opened to help the public. Residents are urged to refrain from travel.
A state of emergency has also been declared in the city of Oro Medonte. Due to fallen trees, damaged power lines and debris, all roads and some city facilities were closed. Freezing rain in the region caused power outages and made it difficult to access a number of settlements.
Photo: volynnews.com
