EDMONTON - Thousands of north-side residents came home to a blackout today on one of the first cold nights of the season.
The power outage started at about 4:40 p.m. as a result of an underground cable failure, Epcor spokesman Mike Gibbs said. The power came back on shortly after 7 p.m.
It affected about 5,600 homes between 108th and 141st Streets and 137th and 187th Avenues, Gibbs said.
The temperature was -16 C, and felt like -27 C with the windchill.
Edmonton last endured a significant power outage about two weeks ago, when high winds knocked down power lines in several areas. In that case, about 2,500 homes went without electricity for a time.
Gibbs said Epcor advises customers to keep stocks of emergency supplies on hand, particularly during cold weather such as today’s.
He recommended storing flashlights, candles and matches, and blankets. As well he said it’s useful for people to have battery-powered radios so they can catch the progress updates that Epcor provides to radio stations.
Fireplaces, used safely, can also help.
You must be logged in to post a comment.