Trees cut down prematurely in N.D.G.: Copeman
N.D.G. hit hard, 48,000 in Montreal left without power
A severe thunderstorm with strong winds left nearly 48,000 Montrealers without power Tuesday evening.
By 11 p.m., more than 100 HydroQuébec crews were at work in the south of the province, repairing power lines. On their website, the province’s electricity provider said that the Laurentians, Richelieu and Montreal regions were the most affected by the storm and about 65,000 homes around Quebec were without power.
Despite rain continuing to fall and reports of thunder, Environment Canada removed the thunderstorm watch for the Montreal, Laval, Châteauguay and Longueuil regions around 7 p.m. While they did not issue a tornado warning on Tuesday, the government agency did say that “severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes.”
Urgences-Santé confirmed the storm caused two collisions throughout the afternoon, both of which resulted in minor injuries. A spokesperson said a tent set up for the Strangers in the Night gala in a parking lot next to the Fairview Pointe-Claire shopping centre had fallen on three people. Two were brought to hospital while the third, who was examined on-site, refused to go.
Petrona Joseph, the PR manager for the gala, said that the tent would be replaced.
A driver was also injured after a post fell on a car in St-Laurent, said Urgences-Santé.
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce was particularly hit by the storm. Montreal police and firefighters said most of the damage occurred between Girouard Ave. and Coronation Ave., bordered by Somerled Ave. and StJacques St. to the north and south.
N.D.G. Park, between Girouard and Marcil Ave., suffered extensive damage caused by trees that had toppled over in the strong winds.
Serge Abergel, public affairs manager for Hydro-Québec, explained that Melrose Ave. was particularly affected, with several portions of an electrical wire on the ground. He said their crews were working with the Montreal fire department to rectify what he called a very dangerous situation.
Philippe Pichet, director of the Montreal police, tweeted that roofs have been torn off, while large trees and branches had fallen on power lines.
A spokesperson for the SPVM said that traffic on Sherbrooke St. in N.D.G. remained relatively clear. However, borough Mayor Russell Copeman asked residents to respect perimeters set up around the neighbourhood, calling the areas “not safe.”
The city asked residents to be careful: “Our inspectors are checking the trees in the affected areas and we ask residents, as much as possible, to avoid walking or driving in areas at risk. It will take a few days for things to come back to normal. We will keep you informed.”
Amélie Régis, spokesperson for the Société de Transport de Montréal, said that five bus lines — the 37, 90, 430, 63, 195 — in Côte-StLuc, Lachine and N.D.G. experienced delays and were taking detours to avoid debris from the storm.