Canadian Army Offers Aid After PEI Goes Three Days Without Power

by Rob Walker | January 31, 2008 at 07:27 am

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Wow, while my friends and family said it was storming there, I had no idea how bad it was. Typical maritime response when asked how the weather is: "It's storming." Well by storming, you mean at one point 95 per cent of an island of 150,000+ people was without power, and three days later about a third of the island is still without any heat or power.
Emergency shelters have been set up across the Island, and the Canadian military has offered any help it needs to get itself out of the ice lock.

Prince Edward Island is in the grips of a devastating ice storm that has left 22,000 Islanders without power, prompting the federal government to put the army on standby.
Freezing rain started to fall across Prince Edward Island Monday.
As the freezing rain fell, it left layer after layer of thick ice on rooftops, trees and most damaging of all electricity lines. The weight of the ice caused power poles to snap like twigs, and in some places across the Island that caused the poles to fall like dominoes.
More than 100 poles are down.
At one point nearly 95 per cent of the province was without power. Maritime Electric was able to restore power to Charlottetown and most of eastern P.E.I.
Still, a third of the Island is without power and with little chance of power being fully restored until the weekend.

Canada’s military stands at the ready to come to Prince Edward Island’s aid in light of a devastating ice storm, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Wednesday.
In an interview with The Guardian from Ottawa, MacKay said he’s been in contact with Premier Robert Ghiz and is ready to provide immediate assistance, if it’s needed.
MacKay has also briefed Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
“I became most concerned about this last night and this morning,” MacKay told The Guardian Wednesday evening.
“We stand at the ready. My last words to Premier Ghiz were ‘I’m a phone call away’ and that phone call will put in play assistance immediately.”
MacKay said if help is needed, troops can be on the ground in P.E.I. within hours.
“We will be watching this hour by hour.”

A state of emergency was declared in several communities in western Prince Edward Island.
A three-day ice storm has caused widespread power outages affecting some 40,000 people and some communities were forced to set up emergency shelters.
"We activated our emergency plan developed last year using the Legion as a shelter for people to come and use water," said Miscouche deputy fire Chief Jason Woodbury. "We're feeding them lunch and supper, we need cots and are planning an overnight shelter as well."

There are shelters and emergency sites set up all across PEI.

P.E.I.'s Emergency Measures Organization has begun co-ordinating efforts to assist people who have been days without electricity following an ice storm.