'Very scary out there:' Thousands of Niagara, Hamilton residents without power as winter storm continues

In her 52 years of living near the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie, Ont., Joanie Odding says she's "never seen anything like" the blowing snow hitting her neighbourhood Friday.

It's not the amount of snow but the strong winds coming off nearby Lake Erie that feel particularly different, she said.

"It's very scary out there," she told CBC Hamilton Friday evening, as thousands in that part of the Niagara region were without power. 

Odding's lights were still on but she was worried as night approached. "I put extra blankets over all the windows right now. The wind is howling... The whole house moves... I think we're in trouble. I can't see the power lasting with this winds." 

Wayne Redekop, mayor of Fort Erie, said around 7,500 residents there were without power Friday evening and a number of roads were closed due to fallen trees and damaged hydro poles. Others in Hamilton and St. Catharines were also without power Friday evening.

The Peace Bridge border crossing at Fort Erie closed Friday, citing "severe" weather. 

The storm hit Hamilton, Brantford, Niagara and other parts of Ontario throughout the day, closing schools, municipal buildings and other programming through the region. At least eight flights out ot Hamilton International Airport were cancelled due to the weather.

"Residents should put on layers to stay warm, be cautious if using gas appliances to generate heat and try to maintain contact with relatives or friends," Redekop said. If there is an emergency, residents should call 911, he added. 

Niagara Regional Police Service said the 911 call centre was being "inundated" with calls from people asking police for rides but reminded residents police cannot do that and the emergency line should not be tied up for that purpose. 

High winds and blizzard-like conditions caused crews working to restore power to Fort Erie residents to pause their work Friday afternoon and wait for conditions to improve.

"Weather conditions have deteriorated with increased snow wind. Crews have temporarily stopped restoration efforts and are sheltering in place safely to rest and wait for conditions to improve," Canadian Niagara Power said around 2 p.m.

It was unclear when they would be able to resume their efforts. 

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Weather alerts ranged in the region, from a "major winter storm" in Burlington and Brantford areas to blizzard conditions in Hamilton and Niagara — an alert that was upgraded Friday afternoon. Fort Erie was anticipated to receive the most snow with 25 to 50 cm possible by Saturday evening. 

By Friday afternoon, many areas were seeing blizzard-like conditions with damaging winds and plummeting temperatures. By evening in Hamilton, temperatures dropped to -16C, or -31C with the windchill. 

Lake Erie sees flooding

In the Lake Erie area, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) issued a flood warning and power outages began Friday morning as winds gusts were expected to range between 100 to 120 km per hour. 

Some homes and trees on the shoreline at Crystal Beach, near Fort Erie, could be seen being hit by large waves as the water flooded in.

Crystal Beach resident Donna Johnston-Mitruk told CBC snow was blowing everywhere as she went out to get supplies Friday.

"I drove to the store this morning and could not see in front of me," she said. "I didn't dare risk driving to Fort Erie." The power at her home was holding steady but she said "everyone was panicking because the power was flickering." 

The NPCA said flooding was expected to impact Port Colborne and the eastern portions of Haldimand County most. The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry of Ontario predicts that water levels will increase to an elevation of approximately 176.5m above sea level at Port Colborne.

"Significant wave heights more than 2.0m are also predicted to occur during this time... Increased erosion and flooding due to storm surge and strong wave action is occurring," NPCA said. "Residents are also advised to close storm shutters and flood-proof low lying openings in their homes. Members of the public are urged to stay away from the shoreline of Lake Erie."

Concerns for people experiencing homelessness

The city of Hamilton issued a cold alert for Friday, prompting a number of recreation centres to serve as "warm places," during regular customer service hours. The Hamilton Public Library is normally among them but announced all its branches would be closed Friday, and would have limited hours on Saturday. 

The city said Friday that recreation centres closed at 4 p.m. The Hub, at 78 Vine Street, has regular drop-in hours from 5 to 9 p.m., then it opens as a warming centre from 10 p.m. until 10 a.m.

Sarah Rehou, a burn researcher with Hamilton Health Sciences, told CBC earlier this week the risk of frostbite and hypothermia is "enormous" for people living outdoors. 

Sharon Hayes, founder of Helping Hamilton Homeless, said earlier Friday she was especially worried for all the people she knows on the streets. Hayes, whose organization hands out care packages throughout the downtown once a month, says that with the library closed, she's expecting many to seek shelter in the GO station or at the HSR terminal on MacNab Street.

"I am really concerned for their safety," she told CBC Hamilton on Friday morning, on a break from her day job as a Hamilton Police Service special constable at the downtown courthouse. "I will go out on my lunchtime and try to find them and make sure they're OK. I brought extra [care packages] and if they need something I'll go to Canadian Tire and grab it.

"It's scary when the storms come. I am petrified I am going to find someone frozen to death."

The Ontario Province Police told drivers to "stay home if you can." 

Hamilton international Airport said it was expecting air travel cancellations and delays through the weekend. As of Friday afternoon, three airlines had a combined eight cancelled flights out of the airport. Five of those flights were supposed to leave on Friday, and three on Saturday. Six of the cancelled flights were from Swoop, and one each from Lynx Air and Sunwing Airlines.

Metrolinx says it had implemented what it calls a "heavy snow plan," according to spokesperson Matt Llewellyn, only the second time in five years that such a plan has been implemented. 

That means GO trains will be running on a slightly reduced schedule during the morning and afternoon peak periods, with an extra 10 or 15 minutes possible between some trains.

Other power outages reported in Hamilton, St. Catharines

Hamilton Paramedic Service said Friday it was seeing multiple calls for slips and falls. "These calls can quickly add up as paramedics work to service higher priority, life-threat calls. If you don't need to be out, please stay indoors," the service said. 

Alectra Utilities reported several outages, including one impacting more than 2,000 homes and businesses in Dundas, with an expected restoration time of 11 p.m.. Another in St. Catharines was impacting 1,874 homes and businesses Friday evening. 

Before the storm, it warned that "in the event of downed powerlines, stay at least 10 metres away (the length of a school bus), and call 911 immediately." To report outages, Alectra Utilities' customers should call the company or check its website for status of outages and repairs. 

It also suggested people keep cellphones charged and prepare an emergency kit that includes a list of "important telephone numbers for family doctors, schools, daycare and insurance companies." 

• Are you, your family or neighbourhood impacted by the storm? Tell us how by sending an email to hamilton@cbc.ca