CALEB NICKERSON
PONTIAC Dec. 15-17, 2019
Heavy rain followed by a large dump of snow over the weekend left thousands of Hydro Quebec customers without . . .
power Sunday evening, and crews were scrambling in the ensuing hours to return power to the region.
More than 5,000 out of 12,303 Hydro Québec customers were thrown into darkness early Sunday morning, cutting a wide swath across the Pontiac. Portage du Fort (187/187 customers affected) and Mansfield et Pontefract (1,145/1,466) were some of the hardest hit, along with Thorne (655/692), Otter Lake (1,064/1,264) and Sheenboro (287/289).
The Otter Lake RA Hall was opened to the public both Sunday and Monday as a place to gather and warm up. The TCRA Hall in Thorne was opened Monday and Tuesday for those seeking shelter.
Hydro Québec trucks were spotted in abundance over the weekend and Monday as they worked to restore electricity. As of 7:45 a.m. Dec. 17, there were 108 customers still without power in Thorne, as well as another 90 in Clarendon, with smaller pockets spread throughout other municipalities.
