City of Toronto update on power outages and "no water" calls

City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:

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News Release:  March 4, 2015

City of Toronto update on power outages and "no water" calls

Toronto Hydro is reporting clusters of power outages across the city after yesterday's winter storm. Crews are working continuously to restore power and Toronto Hydro is working to narrow restoration time estimates. Progress updates are being posted online at http://outages.torontohydro.com/category/outage-updates.

The health and safety of residents is the City's top priority. The City's Office of Emergency Management is monitoring this situation closely. The City has opened a Reception Centre at the Edithvale Community Centre located at 131 Finch Ave. W. Residents affected by the power outage can go there to access warmth and shelter. Pets are welcome. The Canadian Red Cross has been dispatched to provide services at Edithvale and will also be conducting door-to-door wellness checks in any areas of the community identified as vulnerable.

The Medical Officer of Health has already declared an Extreme Cold Weather Alert so cold weather services for homeless people, including 24-hour drop-in centres, additional shelter beds, TTC tokens, increased street outreach and a direction to shelters to relax any service restrictions, is now in place. As well, residents can drop in to any City building to warm up, use the facilities or charge their cell phones or devices.

Please check on vulnerable neighbours or family members who may need assistance during a power outage. Residents are reminded to stay clear of downed power lines and to treat any intersections with non-working traffic signals as an all-way stop.

How to report a power outage or power lines down Power outage locations are listed at http://outages.torontohydro.com/category/outage-updates. New outages and downed power lines can be reported by calling Toronto Hydro's Lights Out number at 416-542-8000. Call volumes may be very high at this time; please be patient and keep the lines open for serious occurrences.

Toronto Community Housing residents should report power outages to TCHC’s Client Care Centre at 416-981-5500 or help@torontohousing.ca. Callers can press “1” then “7” to leave a voice message.

"No water" service calls

Since the cold weather first hit on February 14, the City has received more than 3,000 no water calls as a result of frozen pipes. This is more than 10 times the normal amount of no water calls, and the City continues to receive approximately 110-130 calls a day due to the prolonged cold weather.

The City of Toronto is working as quickly as possible to get to each home. Toronto Water has mobilized all available crews, along with staff from other areas and contractors, to enhance emergency response. This includes visiting each home, attempting to establish a temporary water supply to a neighbour, if possible, and thawing the pipes. Over 75 staff have also been assigned to the no water "SWAT" team to manage customer communication while crews work to restore water.

For more information, visit http://www.toronto.ca/frozenpipes. 

Impacts to facilities/services

For TTC updates, please visit http://www.ttc.ca or follow @ttcnotices on Twitter. No stations are affected but the 43 Kennedy bus is diverting from Passmore Avenue to avoid downed power lines.

The Emery Early Learning and Child Care Centre is closed due to no power. Parents should phone the centre in the morning to determine if service is available.

The Children's Services North District office is closed. All appointments are cancelled. South, West and East District Offices are accepting clients.

The Irving W. Chapley Community Centre is closed due to power outage. Afternoon and evening programs have been cancelled. Residents are advised to call 311 for updates tomorrow.

The Chesswood Employment and Social Services office at 1117 Finch Ave. W. is closed to the public effective March 4 until further notice. Clients with scheduled appointments will be contacted by phone to reschedule. Anyone who requires help with an emergency situation can contact the Lawrence Square office at 416-392-6500 or the Client Services and Information Unit at 416-392-2956.

For more information and advice about emergency preparedness, visit http://www.toronto.ca/oem.

This is also available on the City's website: http://bitly.com/1NhzkDm

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

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Media contact: Wynna Brown, Strategic Communications, 416-919-6503, wbrown1@toronto.ca