Crews scramble to rectify widespread outages
Number of those without electricity due to Friday's storm peaked at 90,000, utility reports
Tens of thousands of NB Power customers are still without service as Saturday night approaches, and many have yet to get estimated times of restoration.
Power outages continue to plague people throughout New Brunswick on Saturday as a result of the rain and wind storm that hit parts of the province Friday night.
“At the peak of this weather event approximately 90,000 customers were without power,” utility spokesperson Elizabeth Fraser advised Saturday afternoon.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, 29,833 customers were still without electricity, with the largest cluster of 9,682 - about a third - being in the Central York/Sunbury zone, which includes Fredericton and the surrounding communities.
“Crews worked through the night to restore emergency outages where it was safe to do so,” she wrote.
“Today [Saturday], we will have damage assessors, safety specialists, line crews and arborists working together to safely restore outages. We are relocating additional crews to the areas of greatest impact.”
She said it’s understandable that those affected are eager to know when their service will come back online.
“Being without electricity is frustrating, and estimated times of restoration provide a general idea of what to expect,” she wrote in a later statement.
“These times are estimates, and they can change as crews work through damage assessments and repairs.”
However, the majority of outages still listed in the capital region Saturday at 5 p.m. didn’t list an estimated time of restoration, leaving some to wonder if the interruption could last into Sunday.
There were also reports of structural damage to buildings as a result of the storm, with part of the Giant Tiger building in the Smythe Street Plaza being sheared off Friday night.
There was a tree across the eastbound lane of Route 10 in Noonan around 6:30 p.m. as well, though it was cleared by 7 p.m.
Branches and other debris were apparent on some roads in the Fredericton region.
Fraser warned that there can be ongoing safety concerns as a result of damage due to the storm.
“Please keep a safe distance of at least 10 meters from any downed infrastructure (lines, transformers, trees), and do not approach downed lines as they can still be energized,” she wrote.
The utility spokesperson also noted that when one’s power goes out, NB Power needs people to report it, as it’s the only way to make sure the Crown corporation knows about the outage.
People can report outages online at nbpower.com/outages or by calling 1-800-663-6272.
Fraser also urged people to be respectful to field crews as they work to restore power safely and efficiently.
The Fredericton Independent can be reached at ftonindependent@gmail.com.