Power is back on in Vanier Woods, Glendale and Normandeau with crews working through the night in these three major areas. Approximately half of Riverside Light Industrial was also restored. This marks the longest complex, wide spread power outage in the community since 1986.
“We are very happy to report that residents in Vanier Woods, Glendale and Normandeau as well as many businesses in Riverside Light Industrial area have had their power restored,” said City Manager Craig Curtis. “We know they still face cleaning up after a long period without power, and we are doing what we can to make that process easier.”
Electric Light & Power crews are focusing efforts on the smaller pockets of the City that still remain without power, with hopes of having all areas of the City back up and running. Until all power is restored in the City, the local state of emergency will remain in place.
“It really is incredible (having most power restored within three days). Our focus has been power restoration and removal of trees. Normally an effort of that magnitude would take a minimum of three weeks but because of our crews working around the clock and their commitment to get that done, as well as the support that we have drawn in from around the region and the province, we’ve been able to restore power to most Red Deerians within three days,” said Mayor Tara Veer. “When you think one third of the City was without power three days ago and now we’re under one per cent, we’re certainly in a strong position and very grateful for that.”
City of Edmonton crews are joining forces with City staff today, sending two bucket trucks with chippers as well as five staff. These staff will focus on assessing the park system and dealing with the large volume of downed trees across the City.
Residents in impacted neighbourhoods with overhead power lines are asked to visibly inspect the meter base, and power service mast located on the side of their home that connects to the overhead power line. If residents see any damages, do not touch them – contact an electrician immediately.
If residents are still without power, know of any blocked roadways, or have a vehicle that has a tree or significant debris on it, call the City at 403-342-8111.
The snow storage site at Edgar Industrial will remain open to collect fallen branches and trees until July 3rd. Residents can also bring green branches to the City’s Waste Management Facility at no cost. In addition to regular hours, the Waste Management Facility will open this Sunday and next Sunday, July 2nd from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to accept resident waste from the storm.
“We are relaxing our waste bag limit for areas affected by the power outage,” said Curtis. “The relaxation is in effect for these areas until June 29th.”
City recreation facilities continue to offer support to residents during normal business hours. Residents can drop in to the Collicutt Centre, G.H. Dawe Community Centre, Recreation Centre or Michener Aquatic Centre to shower, connect to WIFI or charge cell phones and other devices.
Trails and some parks within the Waskasoo Park system, including Kin Kanyon remain closed. Parks that have reopened are the picnic area at MacKenzie Trails, Bower Ponds Recreation Area, Great Chief Park, Rotary Picnic Park, Rotary Recreation Park, Heritage Square and Lions Campground.
While these parks are open, the trails surrounding and connecting them are still closed until further notice.
Residents who require assistance with food, lodging or other supports as a result of the power outage, can call 211 or 403-342-8111 or visit the Canadian Red Cross office at 5301 43rd St.
Residents who want to volunteer, or those who need help with clean-up can contact Volunteer Central at 403-346-3710 or email community@volunteercentral.ca.
