Roughly 13,000 without power days after snowstorm pummels Manitoba

By The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG – There has been no power on a farm north of Winnipeg where Jamal Abas and his family have lived for four generations.

They are among thousands who remain in the dark since a massive snowstorm pummelled parts of Manitoba six days ago.

“No tree was spared in our yard, which was really unfortunate,” Abas said. “There was a lot of trees that were planted well before even my dad was born, around the time my grandfather was born. Extensive damage for sure.”

Manitoba Hydro said on the weekend nearly 53,000 customers were without electricity. About 13,000 remained without power Tuesday morning.

Abas said he was stuck in Winnipeg when snow began to fall last Thursday. He had planned to make the 180-kilometre drive to the farm to help with the cattle, because the highways were too treacherous.

His parents were on the farm when the power went out that afternoon. Soon after, they lost cell service.

Abas was worried but knew his parents had a generator, plenty of canned food and good neighbours nearby, he said.

There was still a great sense of relief when cellular service was restored Tuesday and his father sent a reassuring message that everyone was OK.

“It goes back to community kind of pulling together,” Abas said. “Through the course of all the snow and storming, I never felt like my parents or anyone in that neck of the woods was going to be forgotten _ and no one was.”

Abas said he is still worried about the long-term affects of the storm when it comes to saturating the farm land and, especially, flooding for nearby First Nations.

The Canadian Red Cross said about 5,700 people were evacuated from 13 First Nations and are staying with family members, in hotels or at a shelter in Winnipeg.

The province and the City of Winnipeg each declared a state of emergency over the weekend. Mayor Brian Bowman said he anticipates costs from the storm will be in the tens of millions of dollars for the city.

WATCH: Damage estimate is in the tens of millions 

Manitoba Hydro said will take months to tally its costs, but it will be significant.

“We’ve never seen this before and, in some instances, we have to fully rebuild parts of our system, our infrastructure,” the Crown corporations’s president, Jay Grewal, in a video posted online Monday.

“We solve one problem and behind it are 10 more.”

The area around Portage la Prairie, west of Winnipeg, was the hardest hit, said Manitoba Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen.

Not only do crews have to fix transmission lines, they have to repair the foundations they sit on. He estimates that more than 2,000 of the iconic wooden poles that run along highways in the Prairie province have been knocked down or damaged.

Several hundred workers will be involved in repairs, including some from SaskPower, Minnesota Power and Ontario’s HydroOne, which have brought in specialized equipment. Line crews must also be available to work for the next 21 days, Owen added.

WATCH: Battle against Winnipeg’s winter weather

The hope is to restore all power by early next week, Owen said, if the weather co-operates.

Manitoba Hydro is also asking people to keep fuel-burning equipment outside their homes and use extreme caution when running generators.

On Sunday, crews went to restore power to a home in the Morden area, when a man ran out asking for help because his wife was unconscious. The couple was running a propane heater that wasn’t properly ventilated.

“She had carbon monoxide poisoning,” Owen said, adding that the woman has since recovered.

Gerald Barber, mayor of the Municipality of North Norfolk just west of Portage la Prairie, said he has received calls from people who “have reached their limit.”

But most understand recovery efforts take time and are stepping up to take care of each, Barber said. On Monday, a local resident lent him a generator so he could make Thanksgiving dinner.

“Not everybody was out of power so everybody works together, and somebody will cook a turkey for you and barbecue a ham, whatever you have to do,” he said.

“In a small community, everybody is quite generous.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2019.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today