With flooding happening or projected in many low-lying areas, Hydro One is reminding residents to keep themselves and their electrical systems safe.
The utility’s Tiziana Baccega-Rosa says crews are still out in force repairing damage from the freezing rain storm, and can shut off power where water levels are unsafe.
“If there’s ever a situation where water starts to enter your home and it comes close to any baseboard heaters or outlets, please call us,” says Baccega-Rosa. “We will come out and temporarily disconnect your property, so that you’re eliminating the risk of electricity in the home.”
Baccega-Rosa also warns the company might need to shut off power to some residential areas if their green transformer boxes are at risk of going under.
“Depending on where those are, our crews may need to make the call to safely disconnect an area to minimize any damage if our equipment is at risk of flooding,” says Baccega-Rosa. “But that is definitely a case-by-case scenario.”
In most cases, she says the company works with local officials and the Fire Marshal to disconnect areas that are being evacuated.
To request a disconnection or report an outage, call 1-800-434-1235.