As 50,000 P.E.I. households still without power, Maritime Electric still providing no timelines

As Nova Scotia residents have been given assurance that almost all could have their energy restored by the top of the week, Maritime Electrical continues to be providing no timeline for when Islanders in any a part of the province can count on to see their service restored.

Throughout a media briefing on Sept. 28, Maritime Electrical spokesperson Kim Griffin stated in P.E.I. 28,000 prospects – or 34 per cent – have had their energy restored after post-tropical storm Fiona walloped the area. As of 4 p.m., over 52,000 Island households – or 66 per cent – are with out energy.

In the meantime in Nova Scotia, which additionally sustained heavy harm throughout Fiona, Nova Scotia Energy has reported 310,000 of its 415,000 prospects, representing 75 per cent, have had energy restored. This consists of 96 per cent within the Halifax Regional Municipality, 59 per cent within the hard-hit area between Truro and Cape Breton and 61 per cent in Cape Breton.

Going for days with out energy is a large problem. We all know how robust this has been for our prospects. You rely on us to maintain you related and it’s a duty we take significantly. Our crews proceed to work by way of Fiona’s harm.

Here is the most recent replace on your area. pic.twitter.com/LhKQeHaTWK

— Nova Scotia Energy (@nspowerinc) September 28, 2022

Griffin has stated she doesn’t know why restoration of service in P.E.I. has been slower in comparison with Nova Scotia.

In P.E.I, energy restoration within the western a part of the province seems to be extra superior, with 48 per cent of households nonetheless with out energy.

This doesn’t embody Summerside residents – town of Summerside’s public utility had restored energy to all however 103 of its 7,500 prospects as of the morning of Sept. 28.

Griffin stated 57 per cent of Charlottetown prospects are nonetheless with out energy whereas over 80 per cent of households in central P.E.I. and Japanese P.E.I. nonetheless have outages.

The place Maritime Electrical crews have been working September 28

• Japanese P.E.I.: Fortune, Morell, Industrial Highway, Murray Harbour, Seaside Level, Stratford
• Central P.E.I.: Rocky Level, Milton, Oyster Mattress Bridge, Strathgartney, Bonshaw, Inkerman, Covehead, Houston Rd.
• Charlottetown: West Royalty, North River causeway, Sherwood, Parkdale, Downtown
• Western P.E.I.: Wellington West, Summerfield, Irishtown, St. Nicholas, O’Leary, Tignish, Albany

When requested which communities or areas may nonetheless face 4 or 5 days with out energy, Griffin stated she couldn’t present a solution.

“I battle with giving an estimation. And the rationale I do that’s as a result of if I let you know that and I plan for that and one thing occurs, there may very well be an enormous downside. And that’s not honest to our prospects,” Griffin stated.

Griffin added that within the subsequent day or in order that the utility “could have a greater concept.”

Griffin famous that some prospects, significantly these with torn masts, confronted delays of 10-11 days after post-tropical storm Dorian in 2019.

Downed bushes have achieved way more harm to P.E.I.’s community of utility poles and have felled 480 in whole.

As much as 1,400 workers engaged on restoration in NS

Matt Drover, Nova Scotia Energy’s storm lead, couldn’t clarify why that utility’s restoration work has been quicker than P.E.I.’s

In an interview with SaltWire on Sept. 28, Drover stated the utility had begun preparations for Fiona one week upfront and assumed the storm could be the worst in Nova Scotia’s historical past.

“We had extra assets on the bottom than we ever had earlier than upfront of the storm. There was over 800 individuals out doing precise storm restoration,” Drover stated.

As of Sept. 28, the variety of individuals within the subject has grown to 1,400.

“We have introduced crews in from Ontario, Quebec, all of Atlantic Canada, all of the New England States. It’s a historic effort for us,” Drover stated.

P.E.I. started restoration work with 69 crews over the weekend, essentially the most Maritime Electrical had had on-hand for any earlier storm. Most crews are composed of two individuals.

As of Sept. 28, Maritime Electrical’s crew numbers have swelled to 124 with 30 extra as a consequence of arrive Newfoundland and elsewhere.

Nova Scotia Energy’s tempo of reconstruction is probably not solely linked to manpower. On a per capita foundation, P.E.I. seems to have had extra personnel engaged on strains on the outset of the storm. As of Wednesday, per capita, the variety of crews for the 2 provinces seem like comparable.

Like P.E.I., Drover stated Nova Scotia Energy was nonetheless within the midst of finishing its full evaluation of harm. Restoration of energy to some important infrastructure, comparable to gasoline stations and grocery shops, can also be in progress in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia.

Drover additionally couldn’t present an estimate of what number of downed poles N.S. Energy has been coping with provincewide. It’s unclear if the harm to bushes has been extra extreme in Nova Scotia than in P.E.I.

Nova Scotia’s day by day updates have been extra exact than Maritime Electrical’s on a regional foundation. Whereas each utilities present numbers of outages right down to the feeder (or family stage) on their on-line outage map, Nova Scotia Energy has been speaking numbers of consumers restored in every area for the reason that starting of the week. 

P.E.I.’s outage map solely gives numbers Islandwide.