Still without power after the ice storm? Most should have it back by the end of the weekend: Hydro One

Power should be restored by the end of this weekend for almost all of the nearly 140,000 customers who remain without electricity after a powerful ice storm hit central and northern Ontario over the past weekend, the head of Hydro One says. 

David Lebeter, CEO of the utility provider, said he hopes to have the power back on for 95 to 98 per cent of customers in that timeframe. But he says it could take longer for those living in rural or remote areas that are difficult for crews to get to. 

"We feel terrible for the people who've gone so long without power," Lebeter said at a news conference in Orillia Friday. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and other provincial officials were visiting the city's storm command centre and touring some areas affected by prolonged power outages.

"We're going to stay on this till everyone is restored and the damage is repaired."

More than 4,000 workers have been deployed to get people reconnected, Lebeter said. 

Ford said the province has asked Hydro One to prioritize areas where the outage numbers are highest, adding that crews are working "around the clock" to get people's power back on. 

"The job is enormous," he said. "These people are working hard, really really hard." 

Volunteers with the province have also been going door-to-door doing wellness checks and handing out meals in communities impacted by the storm, Ford said.

Another storm system that moved through parts of Ontario mid-week caused additional scattered outages and slowed down restoration efforts.

Earlier in the day, Hydro One said power has been restored to more than 89 per cent of nearly a million affected customers, but there is "still a lot of work ahead" until everyone gets their electricity back. 

Orillia hit hard by storm  

Nearly 5,000 customers were still without power in Orillia Friday morning, on top of the nearly 19,000 customers living in the surrounding area still waiting for power to be restored, according to Hydro One. 

Resident Katie Warren is one of those customers. She said there's been no power at her home since Saturday night. Her family, including her two children who are two and five-years-old, were there for nearly four days before leaving to stay with family out of town. 

"It got pretty cold and we couldn't play outside at all because the branches are everywhere. You can't go to any parks at all," she said.  

"We couldn't do anything really." 

In nearby Brechin, Elaine Buzovetsky's home has also been without power since last Saturday. Downed trees blocked nearby roads over the weekend, she said.

"They were impassable on Saturday and Sunday. They came along with a bulldozer and at least we could have roads to travel down," Buzovetsky said. 

Buzovetsky said she and her husband have been relying on their generator for electricity. She understands hydro crews are working hard to get the power back on but is frustrated that it's taking so long. 

"We feel like we've been left to the dogs ... if this was Toronto, it just wouldn't happen."

Another storm that hit the area Wednesday knocked out power at the city's sanitation plant, said Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac. 

"We're struggling," he said. 

"God ran out of locusts so he sent ice and thunderbolts. But you know, we're, we're still here."

Restoring power in the "hardest hit" areas is expected to continue into this weekend, but could take even longer for customers in remote areas including those who can only be reached by water. 

It said crews continue to discover significant damage as they work on restoring power to customers.

The utility said its crew members have discovered 1,914 broken poles so far.