Sunday marks just over a week since the powerful ice storm tore through Central Ontario, leaving a trail of chaos and widespread power outages across Simcoe County and Simcoe Muskoka.
As of Sunday, Hydro One reports that 93 per cent of affected customers have had their power restored. To date, crews have identified 2,181 broken poles.
Hydro One says that there are still 4,000 crew members working as safely and quickly to restore power to damaged communities. This includes contractors and 29 utility partners providing mutual assistance.
Starting Sun., April 6, crews with heavy equipment will be stationed along the west side of North Kawartha, a region hit hard by the storm.
While progress has been steady across the region, the conditions remain difficult, with many areas still facing downed lines and hazardous tree blockages that must be safely removed before full power can be restored.
To see the latest power restoration update on our region or to learn more about safety protocol from Hydro One, click here. Hydro One says they update their map every 10 minutes.
“This is not a normal storm, it’s made substantial damage,” said Declan, a Hydro One lineman in a social media post on Saturday.
“This is not a normal storm; it's made substantial damage” says Declan, lineman. He explains why some customers may be experiencing fluctuations in Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR). Our crews continue to work tirelessly and won’t stop until every single customer is restored. pic.twitter.com/9myTVgpQAY
— Hydro One (@HydroOne) April 5, 2025
Safety remains a top priority. Hydro One is asking residents and cottage owners in affected areas to:
- Drive cautiously near crews and heavy equipment.
- Maintain a minimum of 100 metre distance from active work zones, due to the risk of flying debris.
- Avoid parking in turnaround zones or near property entrances, to allow clear passage for restoration vehicles.
Hydro One encourages anyone who sees downed power lines to report them by calling 1-800-434-1235 and reminds the public to always assume downed lines are live.
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