No heat, no electricity, no lights on the tree – that’s the situation still facing thousands of Hydro One customers just two days before Christmas.
Those without power have been in the dark since Saturday night after an ice storm swept across Southern Ontario leaving icy destruction in its wake. Some people have places to stay warm, but many don't and are preparing for a third night without heat.
“We have no power, no lights, and the stove isn't working,” says Paula Allen.
She’s making the best out of a very cold situation. But she knows she is one of the lucky ones tonight. She has a generator giving her enough power to keep some of her things on.
“Right now we have no hot water but I have the fridge running and heat,” she says.
Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power in the province. Thousands of them are in our area including Tottenham, Bolton, and Caledon. There were downed power lines, traffic lights out of service, and downed trees.
On Summergate in Caledon East, it was a scene of devastation, but neighbours pitched in.
“I am proud of the neighbourhood,” says John Hayley. “We all got together and cleaned it all up. Got our driveways cleared. I hope the Town of Caledon comes by and picks it all up.”
Several stores remain closed tonight. No power means no customers. Even some gas stations are in the dark. And it’s getting colder. A warming station has been set up in Bolton for people with nowhere to go. The Hobson's came to the warming centre for a break after a very long night.
“Keeping warm was a challenge,” says Janet Hobson. “We slept in the living room last night in front of the fire. It was scary last night with the ice and the trees coming down.”
Hydro One has more than 1,400 crews out working trying to get the province back on line. For those still offline, fire departments are reminding everyone not to use generators inside your home, not even in the garage.
They are also reminding people not to bring their barbeques indoors either, and to not leave candles unattended.
