Crews were working around the clock dealing with numerous power outages, downed trees and property damage in the wake of the ice storm that ravaged Chatham-Kent and region.
As of Thursday morning, both Entegrus and Hydro One were reporting several ongoing service disruptions but said every effort was being made to restore power in affected areas.
“Crews were working through the night to respond to the significant damage that occurred throughout our territory,” Entegrus officials stated in a social media post. “Morning crews are being dispatched to areas with ongoing outages.”
In Ridgetown, crews were trying to complete switching to restore as many customers as possible while, in Blenheim, Hydro One and Entegrus circuits were damaged. Joint efforts were being made to restore power.
Crews were being dispatched to Merlin to assess damage. In Chatham, damage was being assessed due to a broken fuse. Wheatley experienced Hydro One pole damage.
“No exact restoration times are available at this time,” Entegrus added. “We will continue to post updates as soon as they become available. Thank you for your patience.”
Chatham-Kent fire officials said crews were continuing to respond to a number of downed wires and urged residents to avoid them.
“Assume that downed power lines are energized. Never try to move downed wires or remove tree limbs,” they said. “Keep away from downed overhead power lines and warn others of the danger.”
School buses in all areas were canceled Thursday, and various schools closed due to power outages, including Blenheim District high school, Harwich-Raleigh public school, Merlin Area public school, WJ Baird public school and Wheatley Area public school.
St. Michael Catholic school in Ridgetown was also closed, as was St. Anne Catholic school in Blenheim.
Sainte-Catherine Catholic Elementary School and Pain Court Catholic Secondary School were closed in the French Catholic board.
The municipality reported that the Blenheim, Ridgetown and Tilbury service centers were closed, as was the Blenheim and Pain Court EarlyON centres.