'Each day I'm thinking 911, hospital time': Resident marks five days without power
Thousands of Ottawa residents are marking five days of no power and the circumstances are challenging for many.
For one Ottawa man, who is reliant on an oxygen tank, the outage is taking a toll.
Perry Handleman says as the outage continues, he isn’t ruling out getting help from the hospital.
"As soon as the power comes on, I’ll be as good as to be expected, but each day I’m thinking 911, hospital time," he said.
On Saturday, the 66-year-old was having a coffee with a friend at home when the storm hit his Bell Corners neighbourhood in Ottawa.
"I said can you fill up these oxygen portables in case the power goes off and as soon as he filled one up, the power went off," he said.
The portable tanks help because his usual set-up requires electricity.
"A generator would be great, but power would be better," he said.
Neighbours also stepped in to assist with another back-up plan.
"He uses an oxygen machine which is his life line basically," said Hugh McNeil, Handleman’s neighbour.
"My husband went over there on the weekend to help him and change the different tanks and did a lot of work with that," said Suzie McNeil, who lives nearby.
Handleman said his next-door neighbour came over and untangled the emergency line for the tank, which holds 38 litres of liquid oxygen.
Once that was hooked up, he said he had a supply for four days.
"I was getting down to two to three, like almost getting down to the empty," he said.
Handleman said the tank will be filled up again this week, but it is not clear when the power will come back on and when he will have hot water again.
"It’s been terrifying for me ever since this happened because I’m unhealthy, I’m on oxygen, I’m not eating properly and my phone doesn’t work."
As he waits for the hydro to be restored, he is focused on staying calm and leaning on the support of his neighbours.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.