Just over 25,000 homes were still without power as of Tuesday morning, but Hydro-Quebec expects a return to normal for the majority of its subscribers by Wednesday.
• Also read: Another Christmas to forget for Quebecers
• Also read: The majority of Quebecers without power should be back connected by Wednesday
According to the latest report from the state company, 26,535 customers were still without electricity as of 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.
It’s the Capitale-Nationale that remains the hardest-hit region as another 9,084 homes have been plunged into darkness since the storm began on Friday.
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean is close behind with 4,224 customers without power. It is followed by Côte-Nord (3,946 customers), followed by Laurentians (2,781 customers), Mauricie (2,863 customers) and Bas-Saint-Laurent (1,028 customers).
A complex task
Nearly 1,300 workers were deployed to the site on Tuesday to try to restore power as quickly as possible, Hydro-Québec said on Twitter.
“To date, nearly 650,000 homes have been reconnected to Hydro-Quebec’s grid, or about 95% of all homes without power,” Hydro-Quebec said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, Crown Corporation said on Twitter that it had received help from teams from Hydro Sherbrooke, Holland Power Services of Maine and Gagnon Line of New Brunswick.
“Teams from several regions, where the situation is now under control, are being mobilized in the sectors most affected,” also specified Hydro-Québec, stressing that its teams will remain on the ground until everyone has access to services again.
The workers face great challenges as some places where they need to make repairs are difficult to access. Employees have to get there on snowmobiles or even snowshoes.
At the height of the event, on the night from Friday to Saturday, around 380,000 customers were out of business at the same time.
Hydro-Québec hopes to have all customers without power connected by Wednesday