Hydro One crews prepare for potential outages from forecasted wind storm

-Customers in southern, central and eastern Ontario expected to be hardest hit-

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2019 /CNW/ - Hydro One's outage prediction tool is forecasting that the incoming wind storm anticipated to start Sunday morning could cause hundreds of outages across southern, central and eastern Ontario. In anticipation, Hydro One is preparing its damage assessors along with lines and forestry crews to respond to any outages and emergencies that may occur from the damage that may be caused due to sustained high winds.

Hydro One's crews are being moved into position to assess damage and quickly and safely restore power to affected customers. An estimated time of restoration will be determined for each outage once damage has been assessed. Our outage tools will be up-dated every 10 minutes as information comes in from the crews on-site.

Hydro One prioritizes emergencies and restoration in such a way that brings power back to the largest number of customers in the shortest period of time.

Stay safe during a power outage

If the power system in your area is affected by bad weather, be sure to stay clear of any fallen power lines. If you spot a fallen line, keep at least 10 metres back, even if it does not appear to be live. Report it to the police and call Hydro One at 1-800-434-1235. 

Tracking power outages

For outage information and updates, visit Hydro One's new outage map or download the free mobile app. Customers can also sign up in advance for text or email notifications. These free tools allow customers to check the status of power outages anywhere in Hydro One's service area and receive helpful tips and news. Sign up at www.hydroone.com/outages.

Household preparedness

It is critical to ensure that you and your family are of the prepared in case of an extended power outage caused by severe weather.

An emergency preparedness kit should include:

• Water (recommend 2L per person/day)
• Canned or dried food that won't spoil
• A manual can opener
• Cash
• Windup or battery powered flashlight
• Windup or battery powered radio
• Extra batteries for your flashlight and radio
• Any medical items you require
• Blankets
• Candles and matches. Remember to never leave a burning candle unattended.
• First aid kit
• Hydro One's emergency power outage hotline number – 1-800-434-1235. Ensure you have at least one corded phone at home; a cordless phone will not work in a power outage.
• Fully charged cell-phone and portable power bank chargers

Keep your emergency kit in a backpack and make sure everyone in your home knows where to find it.

For more information about how we restore power and additional safety tips visit https://www.hydroone.com/power-outages-and-safety.

About Hydro One Inc.:

Hydro One Inc. is a fully owned subsidiary of Hydro One Limited, Ontario's largest electricity transmission and distribution provider with almost 1.4 million valued customers, over C$26.4 billion in assets and 2018 annual revenues of over C$6.2 billion. Our team of approximately 8,600 skilled and dedicated employees proudly build and maintain a safe and reliable electricity system which is essential to supporting strong and successful communities. In 2018, Hydro One invested almost $1.6 billion in its 30,000 circuit km of high-voltage transmission and 123,000 circuit km of primary distribution networks and injected approximately $1.3 billion into the economy by buying goods and services in Ontario. We are committed to the communities where we live and work through community investment, sustainability and diversity initiatives. We are one of only six utility companies in Canada to achieve the Sustainable Electricity Company designation from the Canadian Electricity Association. Through Hydro One Telecom Inc.'s extensive fibre optic network, we also provide advanced broadband telecommunications services on a wholesale basis. Hydro One Limited's common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: H).

SOURCE Hydro One Inc.