Hydro One celebrates the safe return of its highly-skilled storm responders from Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) and Nova Scotia (NS) that were helping with restoring power to residents affected by post-tropical storm Fiona.
Last month, the storm tore through provinces in eastern Canada leaving a trail of destruction and close to 500,000 households and businesses without electricity. To support their fellow Canadians, Hydro One proudly answered the call to send approximately 70 teammates to help get power restored and rebuild the local grid.
“After hearing the reports of the damage left by the storm and the amount of households and communities without power, we knew there was a tremendous amount of work to be done. That’s why our crews jumped into action to support the local utilities with their restoration efforts,” said David Lebeter, Chief Operating Officer, Hydro One. “I’m pleased that our highly skilled storm responders have returned home safely and I’m even more proud of the generosity of our crews who, without hesitation, stepped up to the challenge.”
“I’d like to welcome home the Hydro One crews and thank them for helping our good friends in Atlantic Canada,” said Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario. “Your generosity and hard work is a true demonstration of the Ontario spirit.”
“Thank you Hydro One for your incredible service,” said Todd Smith, Ontario’s Minister of Energy. “Your team has demonstrated the importance of partnership across the energy sector during emergency restoration efforts. I’m thankful to the Hydro One crews for helping our friends to the east when they needed it most.”
At the request of Nova Scotia Power, more than 30 highly skilled storm responders headed to Truro, NS on September 29. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Hydro One received another call for assistance in restoring power from P.E.I.’s Maritime Electric. While some crews returned home that weekend, a convoy of both distribution line workers and forestry crews traveled to P.E.I. on October 9 and have now returned home. Hydro One crews helped reconnect upwards of 50 kilometers worth of line and worked more than 9,000 hours to restore power to residents in the east coast.
Hydro One is proud to assist utilities in need. The company has received 12 emergency response awards from the Edison Electric Institute for its storm recovery efforts, including their restoration work following Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the devastating nor’easter storms Riley and Quinn in 2018.
We're proud to celebrate the safe return of our 70 teammates who answered @nspowerinc and @MECLPEI's calls for help following the hurricane. Our crews are always willing to travel thousands of kilometers to provide aid to those in need.
Welcome home!
More: https://t.co/QQauyJLSuq pic.twitter.com/uGOMccBRw2— Hydro One (@HydroOne) October 18, 2022
