Cleanup continues following Friday’s wind storm
Nearly 50,000 customers across the region were hit by the widespread power outages; still too early to estimate total damage costs
WATERLOO REGION — Cleanup will continue across much of the region this week as hydro crews and area municipalities work to clear trees and repair damaged property after Friday’s intense wind storm.
At the height of the storm, nearly 50,000 customers across the region lost power Friday afternoon and evening as falling trees and branches took down power lines and poles.
The majority of power was restored by the end of the weekend, but the situation could have been much worse.
“If there had been leaves on the trees we would have sustained a lot more tree damage,” said Jeff Quint, manager of corporate communications with Waterloo North Hydro. “They would have been that much heavier and the wind would have pushed that much harder on the trees.”
Wind speeds peaked at about 122 km/h on Friday.
Utilities and cities across the region all reported cleanup would continue for most of the week, and the Grand River Conservation Authority says trees and power lines remain down at many parks and it is urging the public to call ahead to determine which areas are open.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service said they received a nearrecord number of calls for assistance Friday due to the storm.
Quint said the number of Waterloo North Hydro customers without power peaked at about 14,000 Friday afternoon, but by 11 p.m. Friday fewer than 1,000 remained. The utility had about 10 crews on the roads on rotating shifts, and only small pockets of outages persisted across Waterloo Region into Monday.
The City of Waterloo received approximately 40 tree-related calls during and after the storm, starting about 4 p.m. Friday.
“Forestry crews are currently in the process of completing the cleanup work, which we anticipate will continue over the next week or more,” said Jeff SilcoxChilds, director of environment and parks for the city.
Waterloo Fire Rescue responded to a power outage call at a senior’s independent living residence building and church located at Woodland Terrace, 302 Erb St. W., after a privately-owned utility pole on the property broke and fell. The live wires prevented anyone from entering or exiting the building, but the problem was resolved and power was restored by 11:15 p.m.
In Kitchener and Wilmot, the damage was widespread. About 16,000 customers were without power at the peak of the storm and outages were scattered across the city, including in the areas of Stanley Park, Eastwood, Bridgeport, Kingsdale and Sportsworld Crossing.
Kelly McMath, communications specialist with KitchenerWilmot Hydro, said the fact the outages were spread out made it challenging to respond. The utility had six two-person crews on the road at a time.
“Our resources (were) spread out a little bit further,” she said.
The damage was mostly limited to individual poles and hydro lines taken down by falling trees and branches.
Colleen Collins, interim director of communications for the City of Kitchener, said there is still a significant amount of cleanup work to be done.
“New calls are still being received and we expect that to continue at least over the next few days, in particular for less visible areas like our trails and natural areas,” she said in an email to The Record.
In Cambridge, city forestry crews began responding to calls for damaged trees starting about 3 p.m., and by Saturday crews were dealing with 60 damaged trees. The initial priority was moving trees blocking roads or that had fallen on houses or cars.
They co-ordinated work with EnergyPlus to remove trees from hydro lines. Chaplin Park in Galt alone lost about 10 trees during the storm.
Water Street was closed overnight from Concession to Ainslie due to a damaged pole.
“Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the storm and cleanup,” said Susanne Hiller, director of corporate communications for Cambridge.
EnergyPlus said outages peaked at about 20,000 customers in Cambridge, North Dumfries and Brant County.
The wind was so intense it twisted, bent, and broke approximately 100 traffic signals across the region, said Emil Marion, manager of transportation operations for the Region of Waterloo.
The region received about 245 calls for damages to signs, trees and traffic signals starting Friday afternoon through to Sunday, and about 110 different intersections were impacted. Repair crews were out Monday morning repairing any damage they might have missed over the weekend.
“They were very busy all weekend and did an amazing job,” Marion said.
None of the municipalities or utilities could provide an estimate of what the storm cleanup might cost.