Power outages drag on for thousands of customers

Hydro Ottawa says it likely won't have power restored to all customers until Friday, nearly two full weeks after a powerful storm swept through the region.

Crews have steadily been making repairs to power lines throughout the city since May 21. About 180,000 Hydro Ottawa customers were without power in the immediate aftermath.

Now, just small pockets of residences remain without power, but some are expected to have to wait until Friday before crews are able to complete their work. As of Tuesday, officials said 3,000 Hydro Ottawa customers were still experiencing outages.  

The clock below indicates exactly how they have been without power.

It hasn't been easy, said Jillian Brenner, who remains without power in her Rockcliffe home. She has two young children, including a one-month old.

"I never thought it could be this long without power," she said. "I'm kind of shocked that it would take that long to put it back on, but I know that they're working really hard." 

Brenner and her husband have both been relying on the help of their parents, who live nearby. They've also been running a generator 24/7, which they borrowed from their parents.

While there's been lots of help, Brenner said going without power for this long "pretty much sucked."

"It's been definitely hard."

Brenner's neighbour, Rina Eyre, said she's used to being in the dark at this point.

"I lost count," said the 80-year-old of how long her home has been without power. Eyre and her husband are without a generator and have been relying on a flashlight to navigate their way throughout the house at night.

Everything in her fridge and her freezer, both stocked full of food, have long been emptied.

When asked how she felt about going a few more days without electricity, Eyre shrugged, summing it up as "inconvenient" and said she ultimately feels lucky she is safe and that the house at least has running water.

During an update from officials Tuesday, Mayor Jim Watson said the city has received about 2,000 requests from those in need of financial assistance after having to throw out food because of the storm.

He said those in need of help can call 211 or 311 for more information on how to apply for financial aid.

President and CEO Hydro Ottawa Bryce Conrad also explained the delays in restoring power are because in some cases, damage to equipment like transformers is so severe they can't be repaired.

"We need to sort of obviously pivot and replace that. It just takes longer than it otherwise would," Conrad said. 

The company has described the widespread damage from the lightning and windstorm as worse than the 1998 ice storm and 2018 tornadoes.