Remnants of Hurricane Sandy knock out power to more than 90,000 Hydro One customers

TORONTO, Oct. 30, 2012 /CNW/ - Winds in excess of 100 kilometres per hour that began Monday night continue to cause power outages in Hydro One's Networks Inc. (Hydro One) service territory across Ontario.

Downed trees and power lines have caused major damage on Hydro One's electricity distribution system causing power outages to more than 90,000 customers.

Hydro One crews are working to restore power to customers in areas hit the hardest across the province with southern Ontario experiencing the most damage.

Hydro One will provide updates on restoration times once the extent of the storm damage has been determined in the light of day. Crews from areas of the province with no damage will travel to the hardest hit areas to support the effort to return electricity as quickly as possible to Hydro One customers.

"Our crews across Ontario are working to assess damage and restore a significant number of customers as soon as possible," said Len McMillan, Vice President, Lines and Forestry. "There is significant damage to our distribution system caused by high winds and trees and it will be some time until we're able to restore all power. We appreciate our customer's patience and support."

Hydro One lines, forestry and support staff are working on the restoration effort. Our Customer Communications Centre is experiencing a high volume of calls due to the extent of the storm damage. For the most recent information on power outages customers can go to:  www.HydroOne.com.

Important Safety Information
Hydro One strongly urges people to take extra precaution near fallen power lines. People are urged to report the location of the fallen wires to Hydro One as soon as possible. Touching a vehicle or a tree that is in contact with a power line can be fatal.

Hydro One delivers electricity safely, reliably and responsibly to homes and businesses across the province of Ontario and owns and operates Ontario's 29,000 km high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 123,000 km low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.3 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario.

SOURCE: Hydro One Inc.

For further information:

contact Hydro One Media Relations 24 hours a day at 1-877-506-7584 (toll-free in Ontario only) or 416-345-6868. Our website is www.HydroOne.com.