Hydro One restores 39,000 customers affected by storm; 156,000 remain without power

TORONTO, July 19, 2013 /CNW/ - The intense thunderstorms with high winds and heavy lightning that swept across the province have knocked out power to 195,000 Hydro One customers in central and north eastern Ontario. Hydro One crews are out assessing damage and have restored power to approximately 39,000 customers. At present, there are 156,000 customers without power. Hydro One will continue to work restoring power throughout the weekend to get all customers back on.

Some of the major areas affected are listed below:

Area Impacted					Number of Hydro One Customers Affected
Bancroft					29,000
Cobden					15,000
Tweed					14,000
Bracebridge					10,500
Kingston					9,000
Fenelon Falls					8,200
Orillia					7,100
Dundas					6,600
Minden					4,500
Winchester					4,000
Barrie					3,800
Huntsville					3,300
Clinton					2,200
Peterborough					2,000
Vankleek Hill					850

Power will be restored as soon as possible and Hydro One will provide updates on restoration times once the extent of the storm damage has been determined. Customers in the most affected areas can expect to be without power overnight.  Typically in a storm with this level of damage, restoration efforts continue for multiple days.

For local update on estimated restoration times, customers can download the free Hydro One mobile app available on BlackBerry, iPhone and Android.

Important Safety Information

Hydro One strongly urges people to take extra precaution near fallen powerlines. Even if a fallen wire seems dead, it can be dangerous. People are urged to report to Hydro One the location of the fallen wires as soon as possible by calling 1-800-434-1235. Touching a vehicle that is in contact with a power line can be fatal.

Hydro One delivers electricity safely, reliably and responsibly to homes and businesses across the province of Ontario and owns and operates Ontario's 29,000 km high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 123,000 km low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.3 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario. 

SOURCE: Hydro One Inc.

Hydro One Media Relations 24 hours a day at 1-877-506-7584 (toll-free in Ontario only) or 416-345-6868. Our website is www.HydroOne.com.