Marlborough Express

Power cuts as storm toll rises

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Augusta, Maine – Repair crews worked to restore power today to nearly half a million customers who faced a cold and dark Christmas in parts of northeaste­rn United States and eastern Canada after a weekend ice storm.

At least 24 deaths have been linked to the storm, some from carbon monoxide poisoning as people struggle to stay warm.

In Canada, five people were reported dead from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. Police said two people in Ontario died after using a gas generator to heat their blacked-out home northeast of Toronto.

Police in Quebec said carbon monoxide poisoning was believed to be the cause of three deaths in a chalet on the province’s North Shore.

Earlier, five people were killed in eastern Canada in highway crashes blamed on severe weather conditions.

In the US, the nationwide death toll from the storm reached at least 14 yesterday, when a 50-yearold man in Maine was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes from a generator. It was the second reported death attributed to fumes from a generator during the storm.

As temperatur­es plunged below minus 15 Celsius in Toronto – where about 70,000 customers remained without power on Christmas morning – authoritie­s reported a dramatic jump in calls for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, responding to 110 calls in a 24-hour period. Officials said they typically see 20 such calls a day.

‘‘I understand they want to keep warm, but you cannot do this. This is deadly,’’ Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said as the city issued an extreme cold weather alert.

Fire officials warned residents not to use any appliance that burns inside a home, and even cautioned against using a lot of candles.

Meanwhile, some 50,000 homes in Britain were without power on Christmas Day following recent storms, while hundreds of people have been evacuated due to flooding. London’s Gatwick Airport was struggling with power outages.

The Energy Networks Associatio­n said around 50,000 homes remained without electricit­y. They are largely in the east and southeast of England.

Power company UK Power Networks offered to pay for Christmas dinners in local pubs or restaurant­s for people whose supplies remain cut off.

Around 90 people were evacuated today from their homes by the River Stour near Bournemout­h on the south coast due to floods, emergency services said.

In southeast England, evacuation­s took place in the London commuter belt towns of Dorking, Leatherhea­d, Guildford, Godalming and Tonbridge.

And the coastguard rescued people from a caravan park in Yalding, after chest-deep river waters cut the site off.

All together, hundreds of people were evacuated, emergency services reported.

 ?? Photo: REUTERS ?? Cold Christmas: A Toronto man walks his dog past a spa advertisin­g free hot showers for residents whose power has been cut off by the ice storm.
Photo: REUTERS Cold Christmas: A Toronto man walks his dog past a spa advertisin­g free hot showers for residents whose power has been cut off by the ice storm.

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