Some Red Lake area residents will have to find a way to keep busy Sunday.
A major power outage is scheduled for Red Lake and Balmertown.
The lights will be out from 8:00am until 4:00pm and about 2,128 customers will be impacted.
They have been contacted by Hydro One.
The outage is due to equipment upgrades.
Hydro One has managed to restore power to parts of Red Lake and Balmertown.
Some 2,100 customers were left in the dark around 3:30 Monday morning.
Officials say 88 customers are still without power.
Crews are on-site and are patrolling the lines in an effort to have everyone back on line at 10:15am.
The cause of the interruption is still unknown.
A reminder of a major power outage Sunday.
Hydro One says the lights will be out in the Ignace, Savant Lake, Ojibway Nation of Saugeen and Silver Dollar areas from 8:00am until 4:00pm.
Some 1,100 customers will be impacted.
Crews will be completing required equipment upgrades and maintenance.
Officials stress they will be undertaking as much work as possible during this outage in order to reduce the number of future outages required.
Hydro One is offering some tips to help the public deal with the outage:
-Make sure your appliances are in the off position, such as the stove.
-Make sure your devices, such as a smart phone, and extended battery packs are fully charged.
-Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Use a cooler with ice for items you’ll need during the planned outage.
-If available, place ice bags or ice packs around items in your refrigerator to help keep them cold or consider placing them in the freezer. A full freezer will generally keep food frozen for about 48 hours while a half full freezer will keep food frozen for about 24 hours.
-Consider filling jugs of water to use for drinking and cooking if you have a generator.
-If you plan to use a generator, remember to use it in a dry area outdoors away from any open windows, doors and vents. Visit the Electrical Safety Authority at esasafe.com for more tips.
-If you have a bathtub, consider filling it with water before the planned outage begins. You can use the water and a bucket to fill your toilet tank to be able to flush.
A power outage is now over in an area in North Dryden.
Hydro One says around 412 customers were impacted.
A warning of a major power outage in the Ignace area tomorrow. (Sunday, October 20th)
Hydro One says the power is scheduled to be out from 6:00am until 4:00pm.
Some 1,123 customers will be impacted.
Another massive power outage is planned in other areas, with just over 8,500 customers affected.
It impacts areas around the City of Kenora as well as the Fort Frances area, including Chapple, Onigaming, Whitefish Bay and Lake of the Woods Township.
At 7:14pm, The power is still out in the Red Lake area and a Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued.
Wind speeds are reported to be gusting at 110km/hr according to the Weather Network.
Hydro One now says the power may not be restored until noon on Saturday.
Hydro One is reporting that 2,139 customers are affected after a brutal and damaging storm struck the area.
There is also a Severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect in the Red Lake and Ear Falls areas.
Threats consist of torrential rainfall, wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour and loonie sized hail. Meanwhile, residents are assessing damage from a storm that blew through Red Lake just after 3 pm
Winds have caused roofing to be ripped from the Red Lake Heritage Centre.
An Otter float Plane docked on Howey Bay sustained heavy damage when strong winds pushed one float under the dock, twisting the Otter over.
Photo Credit for Roof Picture: Alana Imbeault
Photo Credit for Plane Picture below: Nick Zook
Motorists are urged to use caution on the roads as considerable debris continues to blow, impacting traffic in several areas.
Residents are slowly going outside to assess the damage.
Photo credit: Marilyn Duncalfe
