In a bad start to a long weekend in Canada, at least five people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of customers remain without power after a series of storms cut a violent road through parts of the country. Quebec and Ontario on Saturday, according to Environment Canada.
The storm – with winds exceeding 80 mph – uprooted trees and damaged power lines and structures across southern and central Quebec and southern Ontario, Environment Canada, the weather agency’s government, said. On Sunday, the day before Canadians celebrate Victoria Day, dotted The iron tree is still blocking the way and Animals were trapped by debris. Electricity and water companies rush to restore power to customers, including customers who have been in the dark for more than 12 hours.
In Brampton, Ontario, just west of Toronto, a woman died after she was crushed by a tree while outdoors during a storm, according to Peel Regional Police. Another person died when a tree fell on a camping trailer parked at Lake Pinehurst, Ontario Provincial Police said. In Ottawa, a 59-year-old man was killed after a tree fell on him at a golf course, the police say.
In Quebec, police say, a 51-year-old woman died after her boat capsized and fell into the Ottawa River in Gatineau, just north of Ottawa.
The widespread power outage continued Sunday morning, with about 300,000 customers, mainly in Ontario, still without power. Hydro One, an electric utility that serves Ontario, says its transmission system in the Ottawa area has suffered significant damage.
“We anticipate it will take several days to restore power after today’s destructive storm,” the company say on Twitter on Saturday night, refer customers to the map is down for more updates.
There’s more bad weather in the forecast for Sunday, like Environment Canada warns of thunderstorms in central and southern Quebec, and the potential for severe weather near the Appalachian Mountains.
Jim Watson, mayor of Ottawa, said in a announced on saturday that the city has deployed “city and hydroelectric fleets” to restore electricity and open roads.
“This is a major storm and we ask for your patience,” Mr Watson added.
