POWER TO THE PEOPLE — JUST NOT EVERYTONE YET …

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

MUSKOKA — It was a dark and stormy night ….

“It was a crazy day, all day and night,” said one person on social media.

Yesterday’s winds whipped up a nasty night and day for residents across much of southern Ontario Sunday as wild gusts knocked down their usual trees and power lines.

Leaving thousdands in the dark and without hydro starting at about 4 p.m.

The wind warnings, which had been predicted on Saturday, saw 100 km/h winds in parts of the province, which have been hit hard by similar storms recently this fall including about two weeks ago.

Those lucky enough to have the power restored within hours found it a disruption, while to others it was destruction.

Monday morning — as residents awoke to snow on the ground — there was no indication from weather officials just how bad things got.

But anecdotally reports show some considerable damage in pockets across the district.

Karen Richards, who lives west of Huntsville, made good use of her birthday candles today.

She and her husband Steve and their two dogs began her big day in the dark.

“Ours went out around 4:00 pm yesterday.

“Now Hydro is saying it will be 11:00 pm tonight before it is restored.

“Our generator is getting a good workout anyway!”

In Gravenhurst, power was restored just after 7:30 p.m., after trees came down closing Muskoka Beach Road near Taboo Resort for just more than an hour, as town crews cleared a path for traffic and emergency vehicles to get past.

According to Hydro One this morning: “All wind warnings and special weather statements regarding the wind have ended this morning, but gusty conditions are continuing for many.

”Here is the latest update on power outages from Hydro One. Currently, there is 1,777 outages affecting 187,180 customers. Hydro Crews have been working hard throughout the night trying to get everyone restored however, many could be without until later today.”

Elexicon Energy says up to 500 homes are still affected Monday afternoon and it expects full restoration by 5 p.m. today.

Lakeland Distribution says on its website Power Outage Update that crews continue to assess damage resulting from yesterday’s storm.

They advise for updates please visit https://outages.lakelandpower.on.ca

Parts of the province also continue to suffer, including around Washago and Kahshe Lake, where power is still out.

Elexicon said later Monday its system operators and crews have restored power to more than 10,000 homes and businesses.

Power restoration efforts continue in Gravenhurst and Ajaz, where crews and forestry workers are clearing trees from powerlines, replacing broken poles and addressing damaged equipment.

They say employees have “worked tirelessly to restore power.”

“But there is still lots of work to do and we’re doing our very best to get power restored as quickly and as safe as possible,” added Moranne McDonnell, vp of distribution pperations.

“We have forestry workers and contractors working alongside our crews to get things back to normal, and we appreciate the patience and understanding of those still without power.”

Elexicon customers can get updates on the company’s power restoration efforts by following Elexicon’s Twitter account or viewing the online outage map at: elexiconenergy.com/outages.

Tell us how you are faring the storm’s aftermath and how it’s impacted you or those you know.

Residents along the Beach Road in Gravenhurst assess the damage near their home, above and below, close to Taboo Resort blocking the road. (Submitted photos)
Large pine trees like these were among the first to give up ground before being cleaned up by town works crews, who pushed them to the side to allow traffic to get by.
A large tree branch came down on Bay Street, just two blocks west of the Muskoka Road main street.

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