Thousands still without power after deadly windstorm

Saturday, November 2, 2013, 5:57 PM -

Thousands of people across Ontario and Quebec are waking up to find themselves still without power after Friday's deadly wind storm.

Quebec's power utility asked for help from crews in neighbouring Vermont and New Brunswick today after heavy winds swept through the province on Friday. About 51,000 Hydro-Quebec customers were still without electricity by late afternoon, compared with 350,000 on Friday. 

In Ontario, the central and eastern parts of the province took the brunt of the damage. Hydro One says 37,000 customers were without power by late afternoon, down from 126,000 on Friday. 

The utility says it expects the work to continue through the weekend.

Crews continue to work across the province to restore power after today's wind storm. All hands on deck!

— Hydro One (@HydroOne) November 2, 2013

At 7 am, the power has been restored for 65 % of the affected customers. 124,000 remain without power. https://t.co/1FGpkQ0dvh

— Hydro-Québec (@hydroquebec) November 2, 2013

At least one person is dead in Port Colborne, Ontario, where a tree fell on a car and killed a woman inside.

That community saw some of the strongest winds in the storm, with the strongest gusts - topping 100 km/h - recorded in coastal communities.

The hardest hit Ontario communities were Bracebridge with 17,000 outages, and Huntsville, Kingston and Parry Sound, where 13,000 customers were in the dark.

The Laurentian Mountains, the Monteregie region, and the Montreal area were the hardest hit in Quebec, where strong gusts brought down trees and sent chunks of debris flying.

That system has since pushed eastward. Strong winds were recorded in the Maritimes on Saturday, while much of Newfoundland was under a wind warning, with gusts of more than 100 km/h expected in some areas as the deep low-pressure area moves out to sea.