Hydro-Quebec making slow but steady progress; 50,000 customers still without power

More than 30,000 Hydro-Quebec customers have regained power in the past 24 hours, but the company's teams still have work to do.

The number of homes without power has dropped to just under 53,000 Thursday morning, according to data released at 7:45 a.m. by Hydro-Quebec.

As has been the case since severe thunderstorms hit Quebec and Ontario last Saturday, the region most affected by outages is the Laurentians, with more than 30,000 customers still in the dark.

In Outaouais, more than 11,000 customers still have no power, while that number is just over 8,900 in Lanaudière.

Wednesday, the Crown corporation estimated that it would be able to restore service to most of the affected households by the end of the day on Thursday.

Some homes that are more isolated or in difficult-to-access areas will have to wait longer -- perhaps Friday or Saturday.

Sophie Brochu, president and CEO of the Crown corporation, says the extent of the disaster is the worst since the 1998 ice storm, noting the thunderstorms hit a swath of territory 300 kilometres long by 100 kilometres wide.

As many as 500 poles and 100 transformers need to be replaced. To date, some 300 poles have been replanted.

Ten people died as a result of Saturday's storms, nine in Ontario and one in Quebec.

Brochu says she believes the operation will cost the Crown corporation "tens of millions" but assures that customers will not see price hikes as a result.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 26, 2022.