Seven people have died and tens of thousands remain without power after severe thunderstorms swept through Ontario and Quebec on Saturday.
Gatineau Police say a 51-year-old woman died when the boat she was in capsized in the Ottawa River near Masson-Angers during Saturday’s storm.
A 44-year-old man had been killed in the Madawaska metropolitan area west of Ottawa after being hit by a falling tree, according to Ontario provincial police, while Ottawa police said one person had died in the west of the city, without giving details.
A woman in her 60s was killed by a falling tree while out for a walk in Brampton, west of Toronto, according to Peel Regional Police.
Ontario Provincial Police report that one person was killed and two others injured when a tree fell on a trailer home near Lake Pinehurst in the Waterloo area. She also reported the deaths of a 64-year-old woman from the North Kawartha community and another 74-year-old woman from Port Hope, also from a falling tree.
One person was seriously injured in Ottawa’s western sector, the Federal Capital Police Department reported.
Wind up to 151 km/h
Strong winds were recorded in several places, notably on Lake Memphremagog with gusts of up to 151 km/h, in Trois-Rivières with peaks of 96 km/h and in Gatineau up to 90 km/h late Saturday afternoon. In Ontario, peak speeds of 132 km/h were measured in the Waterloo region.
In Quebec, around 550,000 customers were without power at the peak of the event, Hydro-Quebec said.
As of early Sunday afternoon, more than 358,000 were left without power. The most affected regions are the Laurentians, where more than 142,000 households are affected, followed by Lanaudière (almost 92,000 customers) and Outaouais (almost 86,000 customers).
On Sunday, Hydro-Québec noted that “overnight recovery progressed and [que] More than 400 teams (more than 800 workers) are mobilized this morning. »
Extensive terrain damage was caused by yesterday’s weather events #glitches in several regions of Quebec. More than 361 crews are deployed to restore service.
To understand how recovery works: https://t.co/H9l9zxZ9JJ pic.twitter.com/W16B8oGrP4
— Hydro Quebec (@hydroquebec) May 22, 2022
“The storm caused extensive damage in several regions, particularly the Laurentians and the Outaouais. With Hydro-Québec, we will ensure that all Quebecers are reconnected as soon as possible. Thank you to the teams that have been working hard on site since last night! ‘ wrote Prime Minister François Legault on twitter.
The state-owned company reminds that in the event of cables on the ground, it is important not to approach and instead call 911 to secure the site.
It is also unable to provide a recovery time for its Info-Breakdowns application due to a major outage. Teams may need to travel to a priority location.
In Ontario, about 258,000 Hydro One customers were without power as of 1 p.m. Sunday, while Hydro Ottawa reported more than 725 outages affecting more than 176,500 customers.
The Montreal region was largely spared the storms that swept from Ontario to the Capitale-Nationale in the Outaouais, Laurentides, Lanaudière and Mauricie regions late in the afternoon on Saturday. Estrie and Chaudière-Appalaches were hit by another storm cell around 3 a.m. that night.
Damaged buildings
Several communities reported fallen trees and breakage.
In Quebec City, part of the roof of a 72-apartment building was blown off in the Vanier neighborhood early in the evening. Residents had to be evacuated and only those on the lower floors were able to return to their homes later that evening, Alexandre Lajoie of the Quebec City Fire Department said in an email.
While the building structure was not damaged, water entered the upper floors. Thirty condos cannot be restored and some residents have been treated by the Red Cross.
Additionally, several stoplights in Quebec are not working, the Quebec City Police Service reported.
In Lanaudière, two schools were damaged by the weather. These are the Sainte-Bernadette school in Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes and the Saint-Alphonse school in Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, according to a note published by the Samares School Service Center, which states that it is with experts assess the situation and “organize the return to class in a safe manner”.
In Val-Morin, in the Laurentians, residents are encouraged to reduce their drinking water consumption to a strict minimum. “Due to the power failure, the water supply to our pumping stations has come to a standstill,” the municipality wrote on its Facebook page.
In Outaouais, several Fassett residents have shared on social networks photos of the Saint-Fidèle church, built in 1918, whose bell tower has collapsed.
Storm and tornado clock
Quebec may not be done with the wind just yet as conditions Sunday afternoon and evening will be conducive to the formation of violent thunderstorms that could produce tornadoes.
Estrie and part of the Chaudière-Appalaches along the US border are the subject of Environment Canada alerts.
Additionally, the south bank of the St. Lawrence River from Cornwall to Gaspésie and parts of New Brunswick may be affected by thunderstorms on Sunday.
Strong winds, large hail and heavy rain are also possible, Environment Canada warns.
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