Multiple power outages in London after fierce thunderstorm tears through southern Ontario
Many people are still cleaning up debris while others remain without power in London, Ont. Sunday after a powerful severe thunderstorm rolled through southern Ontario Saturday.
According to London Hydro, 38 outages in the London area remain Sunday afternoon.
Affected areas include Huron Heights, Oakridge, Airport, Masonville, East London, North London, Highland, Lambeth, Carling, Woodfield, Old East Village, South London, Glen Cairn, Central London, Hamilton Road and Southcrest.
On Saturday, 32,000 customers lost power, while that number has now decreased to approximately 2,500. Old East Village is the site of the largest power outage, where more than 500 customers remain without power.
“Because of the intensity of the storm, there is a severe damage in some areas, which means cleaning up trees and downed lines in order to get the power back on,” said Nancy Hutton, a spokesperson with London Hydro.
Hutton added that the amount of damage and downed trees and power lines are compounding the restoration of power, so it’ll take longer to resolve the outages for the remaining 2,500 customers.
The City of London is working to clear streets of fallen trees in order to get hydro trucks in.
“London Hydro said that they're starting but there's not much of a chance we're gonna get hydro today. It means go borrow a generator from a friend and hope that we can save some of the food in the fridge,” said Princess Avenue resident Michael Jarvie.
London Ward 4 Coun. Jesse Helmer also tweeted Sunday morning, “Thank you to the crews working to restore power and to neighbours who are helping each other out.”
According to Environment Canada, more than 350,000 customers across the region lost power during Saturday’s storm, and many of those outages still remain into Sunday.
Meanwhile, Hydro One tweeted out Saturday night that they “anticipate it will take several days to restore power after today’s destructive storm.”
For east London resident Michael Lewis, a fallen tree crushed his fence. Like many Ontarians, his next steps are to reach out to his insurance company.
“When we do, we hope to get a claims assessor up to see where we stand. We are very hopeful of course this tree will be on city property and consequently be handled by the city,” he said.
How the storm impacted the rest of the province
While the peak wind gusts in London during Saturday’s storm are not currently known, Environment Canada provided information on the observed peak wind gusts in neighbouring cities.
- Kitchener-Waterloo Airport – 132 km/h
- Toronto Pearson International Airport – 120 km/h
- Ottawa International Airport – 120 km/h
- Guelph – 83 km/h
Across the region, the storm has claimed the lives of at least eight people.
One woman in Brampton was killed by a falling tree, another person was killed when a tree fell on their camping trailer at Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area, near Kitchener, and two more people died in Ottawa after being struck by falling trees.
Police confirmed Sunday that three more people died by fallen trees in Port Hope, North Kawartha Township and Ganaraska Forest.
An eighth person died in Quebec after their boat capsized in the Ottawa River.
— With files from CTV News London's Brent Lale and CTV News Toronto
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.