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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-01-21, Page 17Local Iden' Id'I Threes -Advo ate, January 21, 1998 Page 17 torm' victims PUC linemen return from eastern Ontario Back home again. Clockwise from top !eft, Scott Eveland, Steve Skinner' Randy Bilcke andAdam 'Wilson returned" home front Casselman late Thursday night. The linemen spent six- days preparing .thee town to receive power from Ontario hydro. ' , ice cubes anyone? An east- ern Ontario lineman holds a piece of ice from a transmis- sion line. Wires were Cov- ered with'up to four inches of ice. An 18 -inch chunk of ice weighed 10 pounds. Clarke's using movies to help - LUCAN - Clarke Food Mart's Martin Clarke really'wants you to rent movies this week, and for good reason. From today till Jan. 27, Clarke will donate $1.50 from each movie rented there to the ice storm dis- aster area relief fund. A buck of each donation comes out of Clarke's pocket and 50C from his movie distributor. Clarke said the gener- ous gesture is just a little thing he and his staff can do for those suffering through the aftermath of the Ice storm of the cen- tury. By Kate Monk T -A Reporter EXETER - Thanks to the hard work of three Exeter and one Clinton public utilities comntission linemen. Casselman. Ontario•is ready to receive electricity from Ontario Hydro. The town was.scheduledto he' hack on line Monday. . • Steve Skinner. Randy Bilckc and Scott Evcland from the Exeter PUC and Adam Wilson of the Clinton PV(' spent six days in Casselman. 20 . Miles front Ottawa. to help repair the damages from the ice Storni. "We're really proud of thein." .aid Dennis Hockey of the Exeter PUC. ;'It:s good to have the guys hack. We missed thcnt.and so did tlicir families." The Exctcr.PUC' full gel their priori- ties caught tip and then check with Ontario Hydro to sec it More help is needed. "We certainly Teel we've done fur part. hut we can also -appreciate liow desperate the ►re." he said. "In talking to Ontario Hydro. there are a lot -of places in had shape and Ilti`v nccd help. However. they have all they can handle in -terms of coordinating " Hockey -explained. • When the hien arrived in Casselman early on January 10. everything w:ns • - coated With two to four inches of ice .. including. hydro lines. trees; grass. cars and houses: While -a branches fell on -the •wires,.thc sheer weight of the ice snapped poles and pulled the wires'down. The town of 3.600 had'hcen without power since 12:3( a.m.-on Jan. 7 a and gave the linemen a very enthusiastic greeting:'The Exeter PUC gen- • erator was used to power the town's -command center. The Wren spent the first-day with. the C'asselman•cmployces'hut .• worked on their own from Sunday to Thursday. The Exeter PUC trucks . 'and equipment middle linemen's universal training enabled thein to be.. self-sufficient in straightening and erec.ting.ncw hydro poles and getting • stay. Skinner said one day started• with cold weather. changed to rain, then ice pellets and ended with a snow storm. • In spite of working •long hours under challenging conditions,.EvelaniL [Melte. Skinner and Wilson agreed the trip was: well.worth it. "11 was ntiliting to sec how the conmtunity handed together," Eveland said.,."We didn't see any arguments." •_ Whenever the linemen needed extra equipnient such as a hackhoc, it was provided immediately.:. .. "They were glad to sec'scnneone .in the town to help." Skinner explained. - Eveland added the people wanted to gp out of their way to help in any way they could including inviting them into their Milnes to get warm. • • -The mined forces «acre alsf> al work m ...eastern Ontario. • "They were indispensable. They did eve- rything. It was incredible the amount of help they gave." I3iIcke said. The connntuf ity_aiso handed together to • share generators and wants acconunoda- tions. The firehall housed generators which • people -could borrow. Three to fine families_ would stijrc a warm home and generator. Generators were also_used to run gas eta; lions. cash registers acid restaurants- . Ireland said in pharmacies or.conven- ience-stores clerks with Ilashlights would` greet pcoplc.at the door and usher thein to • the appropriate setion cif the store. He said . it wasn't for security. it was just too dark to see. • - • - Snapped like a toothpick: The hydro grid in •east:. ernOntario was devastated during the -ice storm. Hydro poles in Casselman were broken or bent by ' the weight of the ice. wires hack up.- . While Casselman has a utility coinniission. all the work -is contracted out'and no Iincnten are employed by the utility. - - .A hydro line is constructed to withstand'a'50 mile per hour wind and ' an inch of ice. Skinner said the lines and pblcs'wcre, well constructed but could not withstand the weight of the ice. Skinner said safety was a prime concern. An l8 -inch chunk of ice - weighed 10 pounds and.they had to watch-eac-h other's hacks to ensure the ice did not hit thein. • "We always kept safety first." Skinner said. • The weather created challenging working conditions throughouitlteir J - In spite -of -being. without cicctricity for Week: people kept it good a ttitude. . "The jcoi>le accepted it:" Skinner said. . While the linemen were running tin adrenaline at the beginning of their - stint; they admitted they were tired out by the end of the week. • - To not take up space in the community shelter. the men stayed in a motel in nearby Ottawa. Skinner said everywhere they went. they wcrc treated - very well. : • - Bilckc eniphasiied it was only because or -their fellow PUC employees. that they could make the trip.to Casselman. , . • . "Other people made sacrifices at home so we could -go " entphasiicd Bilckc. _ • In Exeter; Ron Moore and Dennis Hockey took on extra responsibilities and in (Tinton. Steve Gibbons and Bill VanWyk held down the -PUC fort. ,Hockey said before the men left for CasseIth n. he had the°assuranccs.of - other utilities that if Exeter needed helps, they wxiuld conic to the town's aid. . . As well: the linemen knew they would he called hack if needed at.hoine. - • . As in any disaster. lhe.utility the crews arc working for covers the costs.. r,. • Lucan workers By Craig Bradford TA Reporter LANARK ,.Two Lucan Hydro.Commissionemployees remain in eastern Ontario to help Ontario Hydro get the power hack on`tor people after the ice storm decimated the power,grid•in the region. • Puhlic 'works superintendent Doug Johnston. public works- emplo_yec I3e% flirt/el aid Lucan Hydro (•onimissiun workeis John Kernick and Craig Williams travelled to Lanark Highlands. located southwest of Ottawa. on Jan. 13. Lanark Highlands roads superinten- dent Kevin Levi said the four Lucanites were tutting brush on area roads and helping clear the way for Ontario Hydro crews to work on getting the power hack on. ." They are doing ,cry weJI." Levi said of rhx•tr Lica helpers. • Johnston and Htrticl returned to Lucan on Satur.:.: ► ut Kernick and Williams were reassigned to S•'t ih Falls 10 help Ontario 1-1ydro get the power hack on for o_ idents the arca. Johnston said the pair were last ,working in the. Pike Lake area to get the cottages hackon the power grid. loluttiuni didn't know' when Kernick and Williams would return home. . While in'Lanamk..Uhe liner spent their• nights at a shelter called the Watson's Corners Community Ball. Helen JohnAnt. a volunteer at the Atelier. said the Lucanites got along well with their hosts and other locals in Jie shelter. • 1 think they arc kind of enjoying n." Johnson said. add- ing they were working with Dien chain saws front 7 a.ni.-5 •p.nt. "-I he.y are good.lads." Reached al the shelter •last week."Johnston said Lanark residents ha %e• welcomed then) with open artns. 'They are treating us Iikc royalty." Johnston said. • ' The four were in awe of what Mother Nature is capable of when they armed in the stone -torn area. -The devastation is just unreal." Johnston said. "Ever- ythng is pretty well ruined." The region is heavily wooded Meaning there is a tre- mendous amount of brush to'cica i from along roads and trees hanging over hydro wires and roads. The amount of ice on the limps makes their jobs even more difficult. he said. Johnston felt good he could help out another community in nerd. Their efforts in'Lanark may also make for a kind of insurance policy. • "Il's hoping it would ncvcr happen down our way," Johnston said. "But we know (the people of eastern Ontario) would help us." - Back in his public works department office on Monday. Johnston.said the biggest problem facing Ontario Hydro now isn't finding more help but in organizing the massive cff i>rt. "She's pretty wicked up there." he reflected. "There's lots of power lines down." Lucan administrator Ron Rcymcr said the appeal for help in eastern Ontario .cants from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) in the late afternoon on Jan. 12. Having two employees from each the public works department and hydro commission in Lanark meant each department had only one employee to carry out necessary services. Reymer said the only affect to service Lucanites could've noticed is sidewalk snow clearing took- a little longer. Rcymcr said Kernick and Williams have the Hydro Commission's bucket truck and the village's woodchipp ei Iielp with the cl�an-up "It's nice _to help, your neighbor," Rcymcr said. " ilyouu never helped your neighbor it's tough to ask'fi>r their help -when you are in need." - ' The Lucanites joined with local volunteers as well as crews from throughout Ontario including people from the • Alvinston. Barrie and Bancroft areas in rebuilding most of .• the hydro infrastructure: -that was destroyed by heaivy ice. and broken tree limbs.. ' 'Levi said power in the village came back on early last %%eek hut the outlying aeras may take -several_ days to get their power hack on. Onc elderly ratan has (tied so far because of the storni.in their area. Levi said. The maul 1e11 off a ladder afterhaving• - a heart attack while clearing broken lirnhs on his property.. Levi hiniselt was without power in his home for si»cral tia. avid slept in the municipal office's basement for two nights. He said he and other -municipal stall have logged 16- IX hour (lays helping people cope with the storm aftcr- rnauh. i.e%i said he is only getting three to five hours of • sleep each night and 1>e. is "getting tired." Lanark .Era publisher/editor Wendy Vallillcc stet the,. Lucainites at the shelter while they were playing,cards with volunteers Iiunt other communities and sonic locals. Shc said theme!! looked a little tired but were in fine spirits: - Vallillec said about 5.000 people. mostly in the northern part of the 8U0 square utile township, were still without 'power on Friday. sonic since Jan. 5. She said the problems there dere compounded by the fact sante areas didn't har%e telephone sersice due 10 downs d lines. Ham radio huhhn ests cstahli hcd ,a make -shift communications network .while telephone crews repaired the damage. she said. Five t>r six shelters sprung up .right after the -storm hit anti the hundreds of volunteers that descended upon the. •coinntunity brought welcome relief and smiles to the faces . of Lanark•residents. '."It's really brought the community together.`' Vallillcc • said. . Onc positive side to the disaster is Hoary I,.anark resi- dents use -wood stoves -,or Iireplaecs as auxiliary heat sources during the winter su eseii without hydro they could - keep part of their homes warns. . - On a. professional note. Vallillcc said her weekly news- paper didn't get their power hack on till Monday. Jan. 12 • • and couldn't publish in time for their _Tuesday afternoon . deadline. The publisher of the Perth Courier. the paper in the neighboring community. offered to publish a story by Vallillcc filling- in their readers on how they can get help-. • and who to call. The sitirj' appeared on the front page of the, Courier on Jan: 14. Rcymcr expects the provincial and federal governments to reinihurse municipalities that may face extra expense for • helping those in eastern-Ontario/western Quebec. • - Lanark Highlands is.a. recently amalgamated municipal- ' Hy; ul 'about 10.(00 people. Levi said. The nwnicipality is • made tip of four former entities` the listnships'of Lavant. Dalhousie. North Sherhrooke t they amalgamated into one" township 25 years ago►. Darling 'Township and the Village of Lanark. • Appreciated. Lucan municipal workers had a ball with their Lavant Highlands hosts at the Watson' Corners Community Hall shelter after putting in long days cutting down tree limbs after the ice storm hit the area. From left: Lanark native Marion Paul, an Alliston municipal worker, shelter volunteer Helen Johnson, an Alliston worker, shelter volunteer Ron Johnson, Lucan's Craig Williams and John Kernick, Lanark native Brein Paul and an Alliston worker. The Pauls are worried they won't have much of their large maple syrup operation left to hand down to their children, Lucan public works superintendent Doug Johnston said. - (photo/Doug Johnston)