April 7, 2023 Newsletter - Storm Response

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April 7, 2023 storm response newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.


I toured Rideau-Rockcliffe this morning, including Manor Park, Overbrook and Rockcliffe Park. Thank you to those residents who have been helping their neighbours in the aftermath of the ice storm. My sincere thanks also to Rideau-Rockcliffe community associations that have been monitoring their neighbourhoods to ensure residents are coping well through this ordeal. While power has been restored to the majority of the Ward, there are still several pockets here that need to be reinstated.

 

Hydro Ottawa crews continue to work 24/7 and are focused on restoring power across Ottawa. Additional crews arrived today to support power restoration efforts. Hydro Ottawa aims to restore power to any and all outages in excess of 10 people by the end of today, April 7, and expects power to be fully restored across the city by end of day Saturday, April 8. Tomorrow’s restoration efforts will be focused on residual outages, clean-up and transitioning to individual outages, including customers with damage to their personal electrical equipment which may require Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) permitting.

The continuous accumulation of ice caused by Wednesday’s freezing rain event resulted in significant damage to trees - and to Hydro Ottawa's equipment and wires. Restoration efforts were slowed as a result of unsafe conditions, including falling trees, branches on overhead wires, and downed power lines. Today, high winds (up to 60km/h) were expected, potentially impacting the safety of crews and estimated restoration times and efforts.

Hydro Ottawa will continue to post information regarding these ongoing outages on its website, outage map, and its Twitter account. 

If you are without power and you do not see your neighbourhood reflected on the outage map, you can report this in two ways:

 

Customer-owned equipment

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If you have electrical equipment - such as a meter mast - that was damaged by the storm, the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) has a tool to help you find a licensed electrician who can complete repairs. Please click here.

 

Community Centres Open

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The St. Laurent Complex at 525 Coté Street remains open through the Easter long weekend. Access washrooms, Wi-Fi, showers and charge your devices.
Easter Weekend Hours of Operation:
  • Saturday, April 8, 8 am to 8 pm
  • Sunday, April 9, 8 am to 8 pm
  • Monday, April 10, 8 am to 6 pm

Visit the Complex's website for more details and contact information.

The Lowertown Pool at 40 Cobourg Street is also open through the Easter long weekend. Drop by to charge your devices and to access washrooms and showers.
It is open until 7 pm tonight, April 7.
  • Saturday : 9 am - 4 pm
  • Sunday : 9 am - 4 pm
  • Monday : 8 am - 9 pm
Visit the facility's webpage for more information and for contact details.


3-1-1 Call Centre

For urgent and after-hours issues, please call 3-1-1. Report a downed or damaged tree on City property by calling 3-1-1. Please note, the City's 3-1-1 call centre is experiencing higher than normal call volumes. Consider using the callback feature. You will not lose your place in the queue when you request a callback and the next available agent will contact you.


Financial Assistance

Residents affected by the power outages who are in need of financial help can complete an application and be assessed for emergency assistance for loss of food, and in exceptional circumstances, help with medication, medical supplies or personal care. To apply, visit the online application for emergency assistance or call 3-1-1 and select option 4. If you are already in receipt of Ontario Works, please call your case worker directly.


What to do with debris and waste

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Debris separation: 

  • Household waste: Place at the curb or the edge of your poroperty as part of regular garbage and recycling collection.
  • Organic waste: Spoiled organics can be stored in the freezer then place at the curb for weekly green bin pickup.
  • Tree cuttings, branches and brush: Place at the curb separate from non-organic, storm-related waste.
  • Household hazardous waste: Visit the Waste Explorer on ottawa.ca for disposal information.

Trees

  • Forestry Services has received over 1800 requests for service. 
  • Staff are prioritizing work to address downed trees and broken or hanging limbs that are blocking streets or that may otherwise pose a hazard to residents or property. Cleanup will be a multi-week effort involving multiple teams and partners.
  • Starting Friday, April 7, tipping fees at the City’s landfill site at the Trail Waste Facility (4475 Trail Road) will be temporarily waived for residents with organic storm-related waste such as tree-cuttings, brush and branches.
  • The Trail Waste Facility is open:
    • Easter Monday (Monday, April 10) from 9 am to 5 pm
    • Saturday, April 15 from 8 am to 4 pm
    • Monday to Friday from 7 am to 6 pm

Food spoilage

  • Spoiled organics can be stored in the freezer until your next green bin pickup.
  • The City is monitoring the risks of food spoilage due to prolonged power outages and will advise of targeted collection if necessary. For now, residents are encouraged to use their green bin, and to consider public health guidance on food safety during an outage.
All City updates are being shared at this link: ottawa.ca/en/storm-cleanup-april-2023


Who to Call

Who to call:9-1-1 for life-threating emergencies2-1-1 for information on provincial government and local community-based health and social services including food.3-1-1 for City of Ottawa services like garbage collection, snowplowing, by-law, long-term care and childcare services

  • 9-1-1
    For life-threatening emergencies
  • 2-1-1
    For information on provincial government and local community-based health and social services including food
  • 3-1-1
    For City of Ottawa services such as garbage collection, by-laws, forestry services and childcare services
  • 613-738-0188
    For inquiries to Hydro Ottawa about power outages
  • 1-800-434-1235
    For inquiries to Hydro One about power outages


We are here to help

To connect with my Ward 13 team, please email [email protected] or call my office at 613-580-2483.

For urgent and after-hours issues, please call 3-1-1.

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