Storm traps electric utility crew in truck overnight

The two Maritime Electric linesmen spent the night in their truck, unable to move in a blizzard, after restoring power to 16,000 customers on P.E.I. Wednesday evening.

The utility had called its repair crews off the roads because conditions were so bad, but the crews decided at about 7:30 p.m. to go out to try to get the electricity back on. The snowfall had eased slightly from mid-afternoon, but the wind was still blowing at 70 km/h.

The crew was able to make the repair, but got stuck on the Blue Shank Road near Summerside on their way back to base. Two snowplows tried overnight but failed to get the crew out.

"So two of our line technicians spent over 12 hours in their truck waiting for assistance this morning, until a plow came and got them out this morning," said Maritime Electric spokeswoman Kim Griffin.

"They had some water. We called in with them every hour to check in. Their spirits were great. They were just ecstatic that they were able to get 16,000 customers back on and feel successful even though they were stuck in the truck."

Griffin said the weather conditions made it unsafe to try to walk somewhere for other shelter. The linesmen were tired and a little hungry when they finally got out this morning.

They spent much of the morning getting some sleep.