If you can't think of anything worse than having to stay home day after day with no end in sight, imagine having to do just that but without any electricity.
That's what hundreds of Toronto residents have been faced with this week after being without power for two days and counting.
The outage was first reported in the Eva Rd./West Mall/Valhalla Inn area in Etobicoke on the evening of April 5, and Toronto Hydro said it was caused by an underground cable fault, which can take more time to fix than an overhead repair.
They initially said crews were working overnight to fix the problem and that it would be repaired by 4 p.m. yesterday, but the timeline has continuously been revised since then.
Unfortunately, repairs are taking longer than expected & the revised estimated restoration time is now approx. 6:30 p.m. Some customers may see their power restored around 5:30 p.m. Crews continue to work & we appreciate your ongoing patience.
— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro) April 6, 2020
"We ran into unexpected issues while trying to restore power. Crews remain on site & are actively troubleshooting. Unfortunately, the outage may continue into the late evening," Toronto Hydro wrote on Twitter yesterday evening.
And it certainly did.
Eventually, the hydro company said they called in additional crews to assist with the repair and that the problem is more complicated than anticipated.
"We know this has been very frustrating with everyone staying home and we're truly sorry. We can assure you that crews are doing absolutely everything they can to make repairs as quickly and safely as possible," they said.
The hyrdo company said they hoped to restore power by Tuesday morning, but that didn't happen either.
According to the Toronto Hydro Outage Map, between 501 and 1,000 people are currently without power in Etobicoke. The map also indicates that power is expected to be restored this morning, but it notes that "all outage data provided via this power outage map is for information purposes only" and "all times referenced are approximate."
Earlier today, Toronto Hydro said crews worked throughout the night to make repairs and that they need to manually switch power back on gradually in order to complete restoration. They said the first customers should be switched back on this morning and that remaining customers would follow soon after that.
Crews worked throughout the night to make repairs. To complete restoration, they need to manually switch power back on gradually. They’re making progress & the first customers should be switched back on this morning & the remaining customers will follow soon after that. (1/2)
— Toronto Hydro (@TorontoHydro) April 7, 2020
Still, some are having a hard time believing that since the timeline has been updated so many times since the outage began.
@cristina_CP24 @CP24 @CTVToronto Its been over 30 hours w/o power, w/broken promises from the hydro company. We’re asked to stay home, physically distance - how is this possible in a condo w/ 1 emergency elevator? When we cant cook? People have lost jobs & now their groceries
— Stefanie (@StefanieAlise) April 7, 2020
And many are simply frustrated and angry that they've had to live without power for more than 30 hours during a pandemic.
@CP24 @JohnTory @fordnation @JustinTrudeau during Everything going on right now...imagine not having power for 2 days having to throw out all your groceries and doing this with a newborn! We need some sort of compensation at least for our groceries!!!
— Buenos Diaz (@Diazhiphop) April 7, 2020
"We know that the last couple of days without power have been incredibly difficult and we truly apologize. Crews will continue to work until all customers have power back," Toronto Hydro tweeted this morning.
But it seems many Toronto residents are far more interested in having electricity than they are the apologies of their hydro company, and understandably so.
by Mira Miller via blogTO
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