Manitoba Hydro restoring power in storm-damaged areas

Manitoba Hydro crews continue to work to safely restore electrical power to areas of the province hard hit by high winds, heavy rain and flooding over the weekend. We are making good progress restoring power in areas we can access, but some customers may remain without power overnight.

The damage includes multiple spans of power lines and poles down in more than a hundred individual outages spread across a wide area in southwest Manitoba and the Parkland region.

Flooding has also closed many roads, complicating efforts to safely access damage.

Manitoba Hydro crews were unable to reach the site of a ruptured natural gas line in Minitonas Monday but flew into Swan River by helicopter to safely shut off the flow of gas remotely.

Additional Manitoba Hydro personnel from other parts of the province have been brought in to expedite repairs to poles, power lines and other electrical equipment.

“Safety is the highest priority. Anyone who sees a downed power line should stay at least 10 meters away from it and anything it touches, including water, and call 911 to report it,” said Manitoba Hydro Media Relations Officer Peter Chura.

Our crews are working on the outages they can safely access, making repairs that will re-energize the most customers. Monday morning there were about 4,000 customers without power; by late Monday afternoon the number was down to about 1,000 and more expected to be restored this

But in some difficult to reach or heavily damaged areas, customers should be prepared to be without power overnight.

“Thank you to all our customers for their cooperation and patience in a challenging time like this,” Chura said. “Be safe.”

For more information, please contact:

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