April 6, 2023 storm response newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.
This has been a challenging two days as Ottawa continues to experience widespread power outages, Internet disruptions and downed and damaged trees in the aftermath of Wednesday's ice storm, the worst since 1998.
It is important to note that Hydro Ottawa has advised that power restoration will be a multi-day event and that there will be customers who will remain without power past today.
I toured all Rideau-Rockcliffe neighbourhoods on Thursday morning, including New Edinburgh, Manor Park, Rockcliffe Park, Wateridge Village, Overbrook, Lindenlea, Viscount Alexander Park, Quarries, Rockcliffe Mews, Forbes, Castle Heights and part of Carson Grove. Many trees are damaged and down. Some roads remained impassable this morning due to downed lines.


My sincere thanks to City of Ottawa staff, Hydro Ottawa crews, Ottawa Fire Services, Ottawa police, Ottawa paramedics, Ottawa Bylaw Officers and Ottawa Public Health for working around the clock to assist residents and to provide updates.
My Ward 13 team and I continue to share important updates on our social media channels, my website and my Facebook page. Keep checking the Updates section of my website for important news as well as the Health and Public Safety section of my website for important information on emergency preparedness as well as updates from Ottawa's emergency services, Public Health and Ottawa Bylaw.
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Extra crews and contractors have now joined Hydro Ottawa's restoration efforts. Hydro Ottawa's primary focus today has been addressing the top 20 outages, which represent approximately 40,000 customers. To check estimated restoration times, please visit: hydroottawa.com/outages Hydro Ottawa has been focused on restoring power to the top 20 impacted areas in Ottawa. There are still a number of areas where Hydro Ottawa does not have estimated times for restoration. Hydro Ottawa is aware and continuing to do assessments on those.
If you don’t see your outage on Hydro Ottawa's map, or are having difficulty reporting an outage online, please call their 24/7 outage line at 613-738-0188. hydroottawa.com/en/outages-safety/outage-centre
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Please do not approach downed lines.
Do you know how to stay safe during prolonged outage?
City of Ottawa Services
- There are still intersections across the City that remain hazardous due to fallen debris and power outages affecting traffic signals. The Ottawa Police Service and the City's Public Works Department continue to support public safety and debris removal efforts, respectively.
- Staff are prioritizing work to address trees and limbs that are blocking streets and those that may otherwise pose a hazard to residents or property. Once hazards and streets are cleared, staff and contractors will address broken limbs, non-hazardous removals, and brush/wood cleanup. Further, some trees may require reinspection and pruning work following the storm.
- Staff and contractors will be working over the coming weeks to address storm related service requests.
- Residents are advised to stay inside, safely away from broken and hanging branches/limbs or leaning trees. Please also be aware of ice chunks melting and falling from above.
- Multiple power outages throughout the City may affect the operation of traffic signals. Residents are reminded that a traffic signal without power should be treated as a four-way stop.
Trees, limbs and brush
This cleanup will be a multi-week effort requiring plenty of resources. We thank residents for their patience, and for staying safely away from precarious limbs and trees.
Waste and tree debris collection/disposal
For spoiled food waste, residents are encouraged to use their green bin, and to consider public health guidance on food safety during an outage.
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Almost all City facilities are accessible to the public to charge their devices and access washrooms. Please note that not all facilities have showers or public WiFi.
The complete list is available on my website.
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Ottawa Public Health
Drinking Water
Food Safety
OPH's website has information on food safety during a power outage, mental health resources and more. But some of you might be dealing with limited internet access. If you can't access OPH's website, their nurses are here for you. Call 613-580-6744.
Emergency Services
A message from Ottawa Fire Services: If your power is out, take a moment to keep yourself and your family safe by checking that the battery backup in your smoke alarm is working. And if you are using a generator, review these important safety tips.
A message from Ottawa Bylaw: Arborists across the city are extremely busy. As such, Bylaw Officers have been setting up caution tape around dangerous fallen trees until they can be removed. Please exercise caution in these areas.
We are here to help
For urgent and after-hours issues, please call 3-1-1.