Potential for winds to reach 90 km/h in southern Ontario and along lake shores
Hydro One crews, damage assessors and support staff are preparing to respond to power outages as a potentially damaging windstorm is forecasted to pass through the province on Saturday. Southern Ontario and areas closest to lake shores are forecasted to see the fiercest winds.
“We’re using our outage prediction tool to gear up and get crews and support staff in position to respond to any outages caused by these potentially damaging high winds,” said Chong Kiat Ng, Vice President of Distribution, Hydro One. “We understand how critical electricity is to energizing life for Ontarians and our teams are committed to getting the power restored as quickly and as safely as possible if outages occur.”
Hydro One has a number of innovative outage tools available for customers to report power outages and easily access updates when and how they want. Customers can report outages by texting 92887 (WATTS), through the company’s outage map and app, or by calling 1-800-434-1235.
If outages occur, an estimated time of restoration will be determined for each outage once damage has been assessed by our crews. Hydro One’s outage tools are updated every 10 minutes as information comes in from crews on the ground.
Hydro Ones encourages customers to be prepared in case of an extended power outage with an emergency kit. Here’s what to include:
- Water and food that won’t spoil for all family members, including pets
- A manual can opener
- Windup or battery-powered flashlight and radio
- Extra batteries
- Cash
- First aid kit and medical items
- Blankets
- Emergency numbers including Hydro One’s emergency line, 1-800-434-1235
- Fully charged cellphone or have at least one corded phone at home; a cordless phone will not work in a power outage
Keep your emergency kit in a backpack and make sure everyone in your home knows where to find it.
Stay clear of any fallen power lines. If you spot a fallen line, keep at least 10 metres back, even if it does not appear to be live. Report it to 911 and call Hydro One at 1-800-434-1235.
If you plan to use a generator, remember to keep it in a dry area outdoors and away from any open windows, doors or vents.