10,000 customers remain without power in N.B. as holidays near
N.B. Power says it remains focused on restoring power for Christmas
For those who work a Monday to Friday job, it is the last day of work before the holidays. But for some, colourful lights and decorations won't be lit up.
After a wind and rain storm on Monday knocked out power for 129,000 people, crews were still continuing restoration efforts on Friday to bring 10,000 still-powerless customer of N.B. Power back online.
A Friday afternoon update to customers from N.B. Power said that 342 crews are still working in the Woodstock, Fredericton, and St. Stephen areas.
"Progress may appear to be slowing down, however outages in rural communities are more likely to be located in remote areas and harder to access," the update said.
Two schools, Back Bay Elementary School and Lawrence Station Elementary School in the Anglophone South School District, were still closed because of power outages.
Harvey Elementary and High schools were also closed, but because of hazardous road conditions and not related to power.
The Monday storm saw 100 km/h winds in Fredericton, according to Environment Canada, and extreme wind speeds in other parts of the province as well.
The remaining outages are concentrated in the Charlotte Southwest and Central York Sunbury regions, according to the N.B. Power website.
For the outages with listed estimated restoration times, power is expected to be back by late Friday or Saturday.
On Friday morning, temperatures for most of the province were in the negative double digits, according to Environment Canada, with wind chills hovering around -17 C or -18 C for most regions.
Dominique Couture, a spokesperson for N.B. Power, said in an email that crews worked overnight on power restoration and 117,000 customers have been restored to date.
"We remain focused on our goal to restore all customers by Christmas," she said in the email.
"As activity picks up ahead of the holidays, please help us keep our crews safe as they work in your neighbourhoods and alongside busy roads. Make sure you slow down, proceed with caution, and ensure they have enough space to safely do their work."