Power restored across Manitoba following weekend windstorm

Power is restored across southern Manitoba after a weekend windstorm wreaked havoc in several communities.

According to Manitoba Hydro’s Peter Chura, as of 7 a.m. on Monday, all Manitobans have their power back.

He explained that most of the outages were caused by trees falling on power lines, as well as other damage to polls.

“In the case of this past weekend, there were literally hundreds of outages across the province so it took time to get to them all,” he said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Monday.

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Manitoba saw strong southern winds over the weekend, including gusts as strong as 94 km/h in Brandon, 93 km/h in Deerwood, and 91 km/h in Pilot Mound. In Winnipeg, winds reached 81 km/h.

These winds led to destruction, fallen trees, and knocked down power lines.

Chura noted that Hydro tries to prioritize outages as best as it can, beginning with energized lines on the ground and then moving on to the areas that will connect the most customers back to power.

“When we see that amount of damage, it takes a lot of time and a lot of work just to get to each one,” he said.

“And then you don’t know what you’re going to find until you get there.”

If anyone comes across any downed lines, Chura recommends staying at least 10 metres away, and calling 911.

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace and Alexandra Holyk.