State of emergency to be lifted as Sanirajak recovers from extended power outage
Energy corporation warns of five days of 'possible power outages' as crews work to fix issue
A local state of emergency in Sanirajak, Nunavut is due to be lifted as crews tackle a multi-day power outage that affected hundreds of residents.
Louis Primeau, the hamlet's chief administrative officer, said the state of emergency was declared Tuesday after high winds and driving sleet knocked out power early that morning. About a quarter of the community, including the local airport, water plant and grocery store were impacted.
The community quickly organized emergency shelters at the school gym and community hall which provided more than 100 displaced residents somewhere warm to go.
For most of Wednesday repair crews from the Qulliq Energy Corporation were unable to land, with a winter storm raging and no lights on the runway. Local workers tried to divert power from a local military installation and managed to restore power to some parts of the hamlet.
But late Wednesday night, the company says, a crew was able to make a landing and work continued on tackling the problem.
A release from the company sent Thursday says temporary power outages may continue over the long weekend as crews work to restore service.
"If a planned power outage is required, QEC will inform residents in advance through social media and local radio," the statement reads.