Storm leaves outages, damage in its wake
NB Power crews gradually restoring power to tens of thousands of customers
High winds and pounding rain Monday night plunged tens of thousands of New Brunswickers into the dark, persisting into Tuesday, and the capital region was the hardest hit by outages.
As of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, the utility reports more than 107,000 customers in the province were without power, and the biggest chunk of them - 39,000 - are in the Central York Sunbury region - namely, Fredericton and surrounding communities.
None of the outages - which began Monday night - have estimated timelines for restoration posted on the NB Power website as yet.
The utility posted an advisory on its website early Tuesday as well about the damage and efforts to restore electricity to customers.
“Initial reports from our restoration team indicate there are many uprooted trees and tree contact with lines,” it wrote, noting that 600 people, with the utility and contractor crews, were working on the issues.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us, but our restoration team is active in every district, doing damage assessment and making repairs where conditions are safe. “
It noted that before providing estimated times of restoration, the damage and its extent had to be assessed.
“Customers should be prepared for prolonged outages,” NB Power reported.
As of 10 a.m., the total number of customers in the province without power had declined by about 5,000, but the number in the capital region had climbed by almost 300.
Monday’s storm caused extensive damage, with the Fredericton Police Force reporting Tuesday morning that downed power lines closed key travel routes on the city’s north side.
It advised that a line was down at 562 Riverside Dr., closing all traffic.
“Royal Road is closed at Mcleod Hill Rd. at Civic #1317 on Route 620,” the force said in a news release. “Sunset Drive is closed at Hartt Street.”
The Fredericton Police Force advised at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday those three roads had reopened to traffic.
The RCMP reported that debris blocked roads a couple of roads in the region, forcing closures. That’s the case, it said on Route 105 near Gilmore Drive in Keswick Ridge, and on Route 3 just north of Brockway, the Mounties posted on social media.
Most schools throughout Anglophone School District West were closed due to power outages as well. Only 19 schools in the district still had power Tuesday morning, and those were open for classes.
The list of schools can be found here.
There are also reports of dramatic storm damage in Fredericton.
Marshall D’Avray Hall on the University of New Brunswick campus saw its roof torn off in the storm, and uprooted and felled trees can be found around the city.
The Fredericton International Airport reported at 8:55 a.m. that power is out at the facility, but it’s not closed.
“Backup generators are running, and flights continue to operate,” the airport wrote on X. “However, please check your flight status before you leave home, and ensure you arrive early to leave extra time for check-in.”
The City of Fredericton announced on social media Tuesday afternoon that it was opening Willie O'Ree Place and the Grant-Harvey Centre as warming and charging stations and would remain so until 11 p.m.
It also advised people can take storm debris to the city’s compost facility Tuesday until 3:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., and Friday from 8:30 a.m–11:30 p.m.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.