After three days of an early fall snow storm Manitoba premier Brian Pallister told media on Saturday, October 12, 2019, that he is set to declare a state of emergency.
Manitoba Hydro had request that the government make the declaration which would then permit them to access more resources and supplies in order to restore power faster.
The storm played havoc with hydro across the province with trees and ice covered wires bringing down power lines.
“While we are making good progress in Winnipeg, the amount of snow around Portage la Prairie, into the interlake and farther north is really hampering our efforts to even get crews out to begin damage assessments, ” said Scott Powell, Director of Corporate Communications for Manitoba Hydro. “Many roads are completely impassable, and we are now starting to utilize snowmobiles and tracked vehicles to access areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.”
About 42,000 Manitoba customers are still without power on Saturday evening with more than 4,000 of those in Winnipeg.
According to the City of Winnipeg, 311 received more than 2,000 calls for fallen trees and branches during the storm. About 50 crews have fanned out across the city to clear and remove downed trees focusing on locations where branches or trees are blocking the street.
Environment and Climate Change Canada said that in parts of Winnipeg 34 cm of wet snow fell from Thursday to Saturday. Accumulations in other parts of the province were significantly higher with Carberry receiving the most with 74 cm.
© News4.ca 2020
