Downed hydro lines left hundreds of local residents in the dark this past weekend after a deadly storm tore across the province.
According to Hydro One, the storm damage included downed power lines, over 1,800 broken poles, countless downed trees and large branches on power lines as well as damage to five transmission towers in eastern Ontario.
Locally, Matthew Meloche, Senior Manager of System Planning with Entegrus says there have been more intense storms moving through the area lately, resulting in more damage.
That includes a storm this past March that knocked down multiple power lines on Base Line near Wallaceburg.
Meloche says hydro poles tend to have a 40-60 year lifespan with regular maintenance.
“Unfortunately, every now and then the model is imperfect and we’ll get some poles that are broken either by a storm that’s beyond our engineering standards or a pole that had a tougher life than we’d anticipated, or a tree falls on it. Our engineering loads do not account for trees falling on them.”
If a hydro line happens to fall onto the vehicle you are in, Meloche says the best thing you can do is stay in your vehicle until help arrives. However, if that isn’t the safest option, hop.
“The idea here is you don’t want to be touching your vehicle and the ground at the same time,” Meloche explains. “You want to get a nice, clean exit. Get the door wide open, get rid of any loose or bulky clothing that might get snagged, and hop out, clear and free.”
Meloche says once you have hopped out of your vehicle with both feet together, shuffle away from the vehicle, never allowing your feet to lose contact with one another.
“Little tiny strides because the ground itself if you take a big stride could potentially be dangerous if you’re that close to a downed power line. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle out, a school bus length or more away from your vehicle.”
Meloche says everyone should have an emergency kit in their home and vehicle, including a means of communication should the power go out.
Cleanup continues following Saturday’s tragic storm that claimed 10 lives across Ontario. Tens of thousands of residents east of Toronto remain without power.
