18,000 still without power in Northern Ontario, Manitoulin

NEWS RELEASES

HYDRO ONE

ONTARIO MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY SAFETY AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

MUNICIPALITY OF FRENCH RIVER

*********************** Hydro One works to restore power to the remaining 20,000 customers in communities most affected by storm TORONTO, July 20 - Hydro One's efforts to repair damage caused by Monday's severe summer storm continued throughout the day.

The company has restored power to approximately 150,000 customers since early Tuesday morning. More than 1,000 Hydro One workers continue to clear thousands of trees on downed lines and replace hydro poles that were damaged as a result of the storm.

As crews complete restoration activities in southern and eastern parts of the province, they are being redeployed to aid in restoration in the areas still without power.

Approximate number of customers without power in most-affected area communities

Peterborough - 600 Cobden - 2,500 Manitoulin - 3,500 New Liskeard - 500 Nipissing - 10,000 Sudbury - 4,000 "Our service territory in the north is densely treed and we continue to face considerable challenges restoring power, particularly in the Nipissing and Sudbury areas. I've surveyed the damage from the air, and there are literally thousands of trees down," said Myles D'Arcey, senior vice president, customer pperations. "As crews complete restoration work in the southern and eastern parts of the province, we are redeploying them to the north and will continue to work around the clock to restore power."

Important safety information

Hydro One strongly urges people to take extra precaution near fallen power lines. Even if a fallen wire seems dead, it can be dangerous.

People are urged to report to Hydro One or local police the location of the fallen wires as soon as possible.

Touching a vehicle that is in contact with a power line can be fatal. For the most recent information on power outages go to www.HydroOneNetworks.com.

Hydro One owns and operates Ontario's 28,400 kilometres high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 122,000 kilometre low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.2 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province.

Hydro One is wholly owned by the Ontario Government.

********************* Commissioner Fantino warns residents to avoid downed power lines 20,000 Hydro One customers in the province are still without power

TORONTO, July 20 - Commissioner of Emergency Management Julian Fantino said today recovery efforts to restore power in northern and northeastern Ontario are well underway, but the public should avoid downed hydro lines and trees leaning into lines to prevent serious injury to themselves or their families.

"It's a common misconception that a downed power line isn't dangerous because there isn't electricity running through it anymore," Fantino said. "That's just not the case, and making that mistake can be lethal. Assume that every downed line is active and call your local utility company or Hydro One right away if you spot one." Hydro One reports that more than 20,000 of its customers are still without power in Ontario - down from about 170,000 customers initially left in the dark by Monday night's storm.

It is estimating it will be Saturday night or Sunday before most of the power has been restored.

The regions of West Nipissing and Mattawa were hardest hit.

While most communities now have at least partial power, there is no power in Mattawa, which is 60 kilometres east of North Bay. Emergency Management Ontario continues to work with affected communities and provincial ministries to help manage the emergencies, and Hydro One crews have been out in force to restore power as quickly as possible. "Staying away from downed power lines, acting quickly to keep children and others out of the area, and immediately notifying Hydro One or emergency responders can prevent serious injury and save lives," Fantino said. For more information or to report outages or downed power lines, call Hydro One at 1-800-434-1235.

********************** Municipality of French River

From Emergency Operations Center

July 20, 2006 09:20

We would like to remind the community that the Municipality of French River is still in a state of emergency as of 23:00 July 17th, 2006 following a severe storm that hit the area.

• outskirts areas remain without power or communications

• the emergency operations center is working to establish communications with all remote areas, and assess the needs of those residents. Water remains available at both information centers for those in need

• Hydro One and Bell Canada crews are in the area and are working diligently to safely restore all power lines. Please keep away from all electrical lines and hanging wires. If at all possible Hydro and Bell have indicated to report to them if possible residence that don't have services

• information centers will be up and running 24 hours at both fire hall in Alban and Noelville. Telephone numbers are: Alban @ 857-3282 or Noelville @ 898-2811

• we would like to remind that due to the power outage, residents are cautioned that perishable foods could be a health hazard. For more information you can contact your local health unit department 705-522-9200 or visit the information centers

• we also encourage every one to checkup on their neighbors specially the elders and report any problems to the proper authorities

• due to the present situation the 100th Anniversary celebrations that were schedule for July 22,2006 have been postponed till further notice

Where available 911 Noelville Information center (Fire Hall) - 898-2811 Alban Information center (Fire Hall) - 857-3282 Noelville OPP - 898-2211 Noelville EMS - 898-3290

Emergency Operations Center - 898-2294

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