Some Quebecers eligible for financial help after storm leaves thousands without power

Quebec announced special financial assistance to cover food losses suffered by those using social assistance programs following power outages.

Several thousand homes remain without electricity a week after violent storms uprooted trees, blocked roads, destroyed properties and killed at least 11 people in Quebec and Ontario.

Social assistance recipients who have been affected by an outage lasting more than 24 hours are eligible for $75 per person. The maximum amount for each family is $300.

“It is essential to support the most vulnerable people in our society,” said Labour Minister Jean Boulet in a Sunday statement.

At 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, approximately 8,900 customers, mainly in the Laurentians, Lanaudière and Outaouais, were still affected by the outage which began last Saturday or Sunday according to Hydro-Québec.

However, according to the company's Info-pannes website, more than 18,000 homes are without power as of late Saturday morning.

“New outages have been declared in the last hours in the Laurentians region, thus increasing the total amount of outages in Quebec,” wrote Hydro-Quebec in a press release.

“The already weakened vegetation is affected by heavy precipitation, which causes it to sag on the network and cause new outages.”

Interventions are still necessary on more than 1100 sites. Repairs, some of which are needed in remote locations, only restore service to a small number of customers at a time.

In Ontario, 19,000 Hydro Ottawa customers are still without power. Nearly 27,000 Hydro One customers are also affected by the outages on Saturday morning.

Hydro One anticipates that 99 per cent of customers affected by the storm will be reconnected to the grid. However, the company warns that affected customers in the Bancroft, Perth and Tweed areas are expected to be without power for several more days or even weeks.

-- This report was first published by The Canadian Press in French on May 28, 2022.