4 days after storm, thousands in Quebec City region still waiting for electricity

The Dec. 23 storm is still impacting Hydro-Québec customers in the Capitale-Nationale region.

There were nearly 8,000 customers without electricity in the region as of 6 p.m. Tuesday.

"Where we are, it was a total blackout. The entire city was without electricity," Saint-Raymond Mayor Claude Duplain said Tuesday morning in an interview with Radio-Canada's Première Heure.

There were 2,441 households waiting to regain power out of 6,880 Tuesday morning. 

On Monday, the municipality called the Red Cross to support some affected people. The Centre multifonctionnel Rolland-Dion, a warming centre in the town, will stay open 24 hours a day to help citizens in need.

Trouble reaching Hydro-Québec

The mayor of Saint-Raymond is denouncing the lack of communication between Hydro-Québec teams and the municipality during the first hours of the power outage.

He said the city was left in the dark for seven hours Friday morning, and Hydro-Québec only gave an update Saturday at noon.

"It took a day and a half before we managed to get in touch with hydro," Duplain said.

On Saturday afternoon, the mayor was finally able to get the centre running to accommodate people who needed to warm up, take a shower, fetch water or charge their electronic devices.

But the municipality was still unable to convey its power restoration priorities.

"In Saint-Raymond, there are resourceful people," he said. "We are in the countryside, so many have a wood stove or a generator when they have a house, except that there are sectors to prioritize."

"When you have apartment blocks with poorer people, it is more difficult to connect these people to heat," Duplain said.

He said he wants Hydro-Québec to learn from the events of the past few days and consider setting up a better communication system with the municipality.

"It doesn't make sense to me that a city can't talk to someone to find out where we're going," he added.

Progress in Stoneham

Electricity is gradually returning to Stoneham, which was also hit hard by the Dec. 23 storm. Fewer than 1,500 customers were without electricity by Tuesday morning..

"We still have sectors with blackouts that have major line breaks. We must continue to be patient," said Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury Mayor and MRC de La Jacques-Cartier prefect Sébastien Couture, in an interview with Radio-Canada's Première Heure.

The municipality is asking those who can help to go door to door to assess the needs of people who are without electricity.

"Stoneham citizens are extraordinary. There is a great wave of solidarity. People are lending each other generators," the mayor said.

The municipal complex is open until 8 p.m. to welcome citizens in need. Its services will be extended if necessary.

The municipality is also warning citizens who are preparing to regain power to unplug non-essential devices and gradually reconnect appliances.

Lac-Beauport looking out for people in need

More than 600 homes in Lac-Beauport were in the dark Tuesday morning.

The municipality has been organizing a door-to-door tour of residences without electricity to help people who don't have communication channels because of the power outage.

The operation could take up to two days.

Lac-Beauport's temporary warming centre, set up at the Chalet des loisirs, has helped nearly 50 families a day since the storm hit. It will stay open until further notice.