Manitoba Hydro responding to hundreds of outages, severe damage across southern Manitoba

Manitoba Hydro crews are working throughout the province to restore power after one of the worst summer storm events in recent memory. As a result, many power outages may not be fully restored today.

Several hours of high winds, heavy rain and lightning caused extensive damage to power lines, poles and other electrical equipment, resulting in about 1,000 outages across a wide area of southern Manitoba. Many power lines were damaged by branches and uprooted trees.

As of Wednesday noon, more than 25,000 customers are without power, including approximately 17,000 in the City of Winnipeg.

“Manitoba Hydro is mobilizing all available resources to respond to outages and safely restore power as quickly as possible,” said Peter Chura, Media Relations Officer for Manitoba Hydro.

“Crews are assessing hundreds of downed lines and other damage, which will give us a clearer picture of when power will be restored. But due to the scale and widespread nature of damage, customers should prepare for extended outages, including overnight and into Thursday. In rural areas, flooding and highway closures may delay response,” Chura said.

The utility needs to complete damage assessments to fully understand the materials, staffing and logistical requirements prior to commencing full restoration work. Those efforts are ongoing with crews across the province as of noon today.

More severe weather is expected which could cause further damage and complicate restoration efforts. The safety of Manitoba Hydro employees and customers is paramount. Crews cannot safely work when thunderstorms and lightning are present.

Customers should stay at least 10 metres away from any downed power lines and anything they touch and immediately report it to 911.

Manitoba Hydro will continue to provide updates on restoration efforts as the utility’s field crews complete their assessments.

“We thank our customers for their patience and support as we deal with the aftermath of this large storm,” Chura said. “We appreciate the difficulty that being without electricity can create when dealing with flooding, and want our customers to know we are doing everything we can to get their service restored as safely and quickly as we can.”

For more information, please contact:

Peter Chura, Media Relations Officer
431-323-4511
pchura@hydro.mb.ca