Hundreds still without power after severe thunderstorm in Timmins area

Update:

As of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, more than 1,400 Hydro One customers in the Timmins area are still without power after a severe thunderstorm swept through the region.

The estimated restoration time is 1 p.m., the utility company said on its storm centre outage map.

Original:

A major power outage in the Timmins area has had Hydro One crews working non-stop in a bid to get the power restored.

At one point, there are reports of thousands of customers being knocked off the grid following a severe thunderstorm that worked its way through the region.

Hydro One can confirm some of the poles and lines were damaged in the storm. Some ongoing weather has also slowed their efforts to try and restore everyone.

Progress has since been made and at last check, 4,142 customers in around the 8 o’clock hour were out in roughly 11 different outages across the city.

In the meantime, they’re reminding everyone that if they should come across a downed wire to keep at least ten metres back, to call 9-1-1 and to notify Hydro One.

The power provider also has a feature on its website where you can plug your address into the map to report an outage or find more information about restoration.

Hydro One Storm Centre

“We know being without power can be super challenging but crews are working as quickly as possible and as safety as possible to get the work done,” said spokesperson Bianca Texeira.

“We thank customers for their patience.”

It comes also at a challenging time for customers given the current heat wave being experienced by the province in which the city reached a high of 31.5 degrees Celsius this afternoon at the Victor Power Airport.

No power, means for many without a means to generate electricity, no air conditioning.

Crews were hoping to have those outages restored by about 11 p.m., Wednesday night.