Some Sunnybrook residents were left in the dark for up to eight hours on one of the coldest days in December on Friday.
This was the second time the power went out in less than 24 hours for the same customers on the north west corner of the neighbourhood along Piper Creek.
While city crews began work earlier this year upgrading its aging electrical system in Sunnybrook, they had not yet reached the west section of the neighbourhood.
On Thursday, a cable failure caused the outage around 10:45 p.m. for five hours while city crews repaired the line.
Jim Jorgensen, manager of the city’s Electric Light and Power Department, said the repair did not hold and caused the second outage on Friday around 12:20 p.m.
Jorgensen said crews responded immediately to installed a new cable.
“We had most of everybody back about 8:10 p.m.,” said Jorgensen. “We had 100 per cent restored about 8:25 p.m.”
About 70 houses or 10 per cent of the neighbourhood was without electricity at times during the eight hours.
Jorgensen said they do not expect any additional issues with this repair.
“We respond as quickly as we can and do what it takes to fix it,” he said.
The temperatures on Friday were hovering around -27 C but felt like -30 C or colder with the windchill.
The city opened a reception centre at 6:45 p.m. at G.W. Smith Elementary School for those people who were affected.
Emergency Services crews conducted a door to door sweep checking on residents and notifying them about the warming centre.
Additional police were put on patrol for security. The warming centre was closed at about 9 p.m. No one attended.
City staff offered some tips on what to do during and after a power outage.
Tips include:
l Turn off and unplug appliances and electronic equipment. Keep one light switch turned on so you know when the power returns.
l Do not bring gas or charcoal barbecue inside. Be careful with candles.
l Leave your faucet on slow drip to ensure pipes do not freeze for the duration of the outage, if you leave your residence.
After a power outage:
l Turn on essential appliances first and others after 10 or 15 minutes to allow the electric system to stabilize.
l Reset your heat thermostat
l Restock emergency kits.
Customers with questions or concerns are encouraged to call the Electric Light and Power’s 24-hour trouble line at 403-348.5700.
Today expect slightly warmer weather with temperatures expect to reach a high of -3 C and a low of -6 C according to Environment Canada.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com