Close to a million people around Quebec are now without power

Hydro-Quebéc says that nearly a million homes across the province are without power as a result of the violent winds that have struck Quebec.

Electricity may not return for several days, according to the utilities company.

• See also:
  • 37 regions across Quebec are currently under weather alerts
  • Montreal police urge citizens not to call 9-1-1 for wind-related damage
  • More than 72,000 Quebecers without power this morning as storm rages on

As of 2 pm today, “over 900,000 clients” were dealing with power outages, according to Hydro-Quebéc’s social channels.

Strong winds are expected to reach up to 115 km/h throughout the late afternoon and evening.

“About 600 lineworkers are doing their best to restore service as fast as possible,” says the company’s website. “However, the strong winds remain, with gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour, causing new outages.”

De forts vents au cours des dernières heures ont causé des pannes, touchant présentement plus de 900 000 clients. Vu l’ampleur de l’événement, le rétablissement complet pourrait prendre plusieurs jours. Nos équipes travailleront jour et nuit pour rétablir le service.

— Hydro-Québec (@client_hydro) November 1, 2019

Hydro-Quebéc’s power-outage map shows an outstanding number of affected residents and businesses.

Hydro-Quebéc

Hydro-Quebéc

“Due to the number of different locations where we need to intervene, we are not able to provide a specific recovery time for each location,” warns Hydro-Quebéc. “The priority of our teams is to work to restore the service as quickly as possible. Given the magnitude of the event, complete recovery could take several days. Our teams will work day and night to restore service. We thank you for your patience.”