No major outages for Maritime Electric on P.E.I. during Teddy

About 225 Maritime Electric customers were without power Wednesday as post-tropical storm Teddy passed over the Island, according to a spokesperson for the utility. 

"We had Wellington out for about an hour today, that was the longest," Kim Griffin told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.

Griffin said there were around 60 crews ready to go across P.E.I. today and a crew from Ontario was also on the way, but turned back Wednesday evening when they realized they were no longer needed. 

"The impacts of Teddy weren't as severe as were first predicted," said Griffin. "But at the same time there was a lot of behind the scenes work done since Dorian." 

Griffin said she thinks the communication between the utility and municipalities also played an important role.  

"I think that really helped us and I think that will help us for the next one."

'Never hurts to be safe'

A briefing with P.E.I. Public Safety Minister Bloyce Thompson and EMO co-ordinator Tanya Mullally focused on the prudence of Islanders preparing for post-tropical storm Teddy.

"Never hurts to be safe. I can't emphasize that enough," said Thompson.

Mullally supported the decision to close down public schools for the day.

"We wouldn't want to put people out in the most significant wind speeds, which would be this afternoon," she said.

EMO reduced its readiness from Level 2 to Level 1 at 4 p.m. Wednesday, and determined there was no longer a need to implement a planned 1-800 phone number for the public to report effects of the storm. 

Islanders who have put together emergency kits will now be well prepared for the six remaining weeks of hurricane season, and for the potential of winter storms following that, Mullally said.

EMO briefings will become a regular part of emergency management of storms, she said in response to a question from CBC News.

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