Nova Scotia Power crews are working to restore power to customers as a winter storm brings winds that are gusting upwards of 100 km/hour in communities along the Atlantic Coast, along with a messy mix of snow, freezing rain and rain across the province.

The winds are bringing trees down onto lines along the Atlantic coast causing significant damage to the electricity system. In some cases, the fallen trees are snapping lines and breaking utility poles.

“We pre-staged crews and trucks in positions around the province in advance of this storm. However, restoration efforts are hampered due to high winds and associated damage to our equipment,” said Stephen Pothier, Nova Scotia Power Storm Lead. “Our estimated restoration times will reflect these challenging conditions.”

Nova Scotia Power has more than 200 crew members working throughout the province to respond to power outages as soon as it’s safe to do so. These personnel include powerline technicians and forestry crews. More than 100 additional staff are supporting field crews with resource planning, deployment and in Customer Care.

“The high winds make it unsafe for power line technicians to be up in buckets, and crews are making on-the-scene assessments to stand down when they determine it is unsafe,” said Pothier. “Customers should also take safety precautions by considering any downed wires as electrified; stay away from downed lines and report any safety issues or system damage to us right away at 1-877-428-6004.”

As the storm progresses eastward and Nova Scotia Power has a better assessment of damage to the electrical system, estimated restoration times may change. Additionally, once crews are able to validate damage at individual outage locations, Nova Scotia Power will update those individual estimated restoration times to give customers more specific information. All updates are immediately posted on the Nova Scotia Power outage map at www.nspower.ca/outages, and are also available by calling the company’s outage information line at 1-877-428-6004.