Ottawa, May 23: Hydro Ottawa warns it could be several days before power is fully restored to homes and businesses across Ottawa after a severe storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers and left a trail of damage in all wards of the city.
Ottawa police are asking motorists to avoid travel throughout the capital region today as the cleanup continues following the Saturday storm that saw 120 km/h hour winds gust through the capital.
The death count related to a destructive storm that ripped through much of southern Ontario continues to rise.
Police have confirmed at least eight deaths and multiple injuries after Saturday’s severe thunderstorm. Tens of thousands of people are also without power after gusting winds knocked down trees and hydro wires.
In Durham Region, emergency crews were called to Ganaraska Forest around 3 p.m. on May 21 for an unrelated matter. While there, they learned that a man had been struck by a fallen tree during the storm.
Officers found a 30-year-old man suffering from significant trauma. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), meanwhile, said a 77-year-old woman in Port Hope was fatally struck by a falling tree “as a powerful weather system moved through the area.”
Provincial police also told the Canadian Press that a 64-year-old woman died after a tree fell at a home in North Kawartha Township.
The remaining five deaths were confirmed on Saturday afternoon and evening.
In Brampton, Ont., a woman in her 70s who was walking alone in the area of Belmont Drive and Birchbank Road was struck by a falling tree. Police say she was rushed to the hospital, but later died.
Hours later OPP said that a tree fell on a camping trailer at Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area near Kitchener. One person died and two others were injured.
Officers found a 30-year-old man suffering from significant trauma. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), meanwhile, said a 77-year-old woman in Port Hope was fatally struck by a falling tree “as a powerful weather system moved through the area.”
Provincial police also told the Canadian Press that a 64-year-old woman died after a tree fell at a home in North Kawartha Township.
The remaining five deaths were confirmed on Saturday afternoon and evening.
In Brampton, Ont., a woman in her 70s who was walking alone in the area of Belmont Drive and Birchbank Road was struck by a falling tree. Police say she was rushed to the hospital, but later died.
Hours later OPP said that a tree fell on a camping trailer at Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area near Kitchener. One person died and two others were injured.
The storm struck shortly after Environment Canada issued a weather warning and pushed an emergency alert to the phones of Ontario residents.