Storm cleanup continues as thousands of Ottawa residents mark eight days of no power
It’s been one week since a devastating storm swept through the nation’s capital, knocking out power to tens of thousands of people.
As of Saturday evening, around 18,000 households and businesses are still in the dark.
In a South Keys neighbourhood, trees are toppled and tarps cover roofs.
"I’m not sure what’s happening," said Stacey Ottley, a resident with a home that was badly damaged in the storm. "It’s been very disappointing and it’s been over a week of no power."
People are trying to manage a costly clean-up as they also deal with no power or hot water.
“We have insurance, but it’s still pricey because we have to pay the arborist up front and that’s $1,400 an hour because it’s an emergency,” she said.
Hydro crews are stationed throughout the city as they focus on the hardest hit neighbourhoods.
"This was such a widespread hit to our city," said Joseph Muglia, Hydro Ottawa’s director of system operations and automation. "There’s a tremendous amount of trees on wires and broken poles that we are still dealing with."
As Hydro Ottawa enters the last phase of restoration, there’s a goal, but no firm commitment on restoring power by the end of the weekend.
"That’s our goal and certainly reducing that number right down to zero as much as we can, that’s certainly our goal," said Muglia.
The damage is widespread as people rely on generators for power.
“For all hours of the day and most of the night as well, there’s generators going on,” said Shira Schwartz, an Ottawa resident.
The City of Ottawa was handing out storm clean-up kits on Saturday, for residents in need.
"I decided to grab a coffee, charge up and I thought I would get a kit just to help out some neighbours in the area," said Michelle Optis, who has been without power for eight days.
Helping others is a welcome distraction for Optis as she continues to deal with a very challenging and draining situation.
"The lack of power is starting to get to a lot of us," she said. "A lot of us are starting to get a little stir crazy and sad."
As city workers continue to go from street to street to remove the storm debris, it’s clear this will take weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.