Overview
- Hydro crews finished repairs Thursday and are re-energizing the grid in phases to avoid overloads after accessing a 300-metre span between river islands by helicopter in -30 C conditions.
- The outage began late Sunday when the Nelson River crossing snapped, cutting electricity to roughly 1,300 customers in a community of about 7,000 and triggering evacuations and a state of emergency.
- Manitoba Hydro supplied generators and heaters, including a 300-kilowatt unit for the water treatment plant, and says personnel will remain to stabilize service and coordinate with local leaders.
- Chief David Monias formally requested Canadian Armed Forces support for evacuation flights, transport, temporary shelters and delivery of essentials as hotel capacity in nearby centres was exhausted.
- Officials caution that restoration may reveal extensive damage, with reports of frozen water and sewage systems, cracked plumbing and expected burst pipes that will require urgent repairs.