Veridian crews continue power restoration work in Gravenhurst

AJAX, ON, July 22, 2013 /CNW/ - Veridian emergency response crews continue power restoration work in the Town of Gravenhurst following last Friday's severe thunderstorm that caused extensive damage to the utility's distribution system. Service has been restored to approximately 4,500 customers while 1,600 are still without power. More than 6,000 customers were without electricity service immediately after the storm.

Falguni Shah, Veridian's Power Restoration Coordinator, says good progress is being made despite difficult working conditions. "Friday's storm caused extensive damage to Veridian's electricity distribution lines, including broken poles and downed conductors due to widespread tree fall. Most of urban Gravenhurst has power, whereas rural and island customers will likely continue to be without power for another three to four days."

All available crews and equipment from Gravenhurst, Ajax and Belleville are working as quickly and as safely as possible to restore power. Additional crews from Ajax and Belleville are being dispatched today to assist in the restoration efforts.

Residents are reminded to exercise extreme caution around damaged poles and downed wires. All fallen wires should be considered live and dangerous. Residents are urged to report the locations of fallen wires to Veridian's 24-hour Outage Hotline by calling 1-866-579-6819.

Veridian Connections Inc. safely and reliably delivers electricity to more than 116,000 customers in the Cities of Pickering and Belleville, the Towns of Ajax, Port Hope and Gravenhurst, and the communities of Uxbridge, Bowmanville, Newcastle, Orono, Port Perry, Beaverton, Sunderland and Cannington. Veridian Connections Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Veridian Corporation. The City of Pickering, the Town of Ajax, the Municipality of Clarington and the City of Belleville jointly own Veridian Corporation.

SOURCE: Veridian

Chris Mace
Sales & PR Representative - Corporate Communications
Veridian Connections Inc.
905-427-9870, extension 2218