More than 200 homes still without power on Christmas Day – city will meet public in Kilbride at 4 pm.

December 25, 2013

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  All the roads are passable – you might have to be careful on many  of them but they are at least open.

This is not a lane way – this is a municipal road west of Cedar Springs.  It was cleared by Christmas Day.

Freezing rain covered everything leaving the landscape looking like a winter wonderland.

That is not a black snake – it is a hydro line tat was down – didn’t get restored until Christmas Day.

Once the branches were cleared a way Side Road 2 was ready for normal winter traffic.

A hydro incident waiting to happen.

The force of nature bowing before a structure built by man.

The damage was not limited to north of Dundas.  This home was south of Upper Middle, between Guelph Line and Walkers Line.

There were about 200 homes without power in the city – all in North Burlington at mid-day.  The city hopes to have that down to 150 by the end of the day.

Scott Stewart, city General Manager, said it might be Saturday before the very last homes get electricity.

Hydro workers found hundreds of situations where lines ether snapped or weighted down by ice hovering just above the ground.  Burlington Hydro had their crews out for all of Christmas Day.

The city will hold a public meeting in Kilbride late in the afternoon to bring people up to date and to look for ways to arrange for the sharing of generators to help people who have livestock and need to get at water.  Pumps are not working and those animals need water.

The city maintained the two Warming Centers; Haber Recreational Centre and the Kilbride Fire Station.  About 50 people have used the Fire Station to get water while a handful used the Haber showers.

Stewart headed home to be with his family to do the gift opening and then let his wife know that he would be out again late in the afternoon.  Mayor Goldring, Fire Chief Tony Bavota, Gerry Smallegange  of Hydro, Daniele Pitoscia from the city’s Clerks’ department as well as Parks and Road Maintenance Director Cathy Robertson and Park and Recreation Director Chris Glenn took part in the Emergency Coordinating Group to review where there were still problems and make sure all the bases were covered.  Stewart added there were a lot of people out early Christmas Day getting hydro lines back up and roads cleared.

City manager Jeff Fielding and communications advisor Lee Oliver were on hand as well.

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