Ice storm: Outages may last into New Year

WATCH: Despite power crews working to get electricity turned on, those struggling in the conditions are growing tired and, in some cases, seriously ill. Christina Stevens reports.

TORONTO – Over 95 per cent of Toronto Hydro customers are back on the grid, however city officials do not have a definitive timeline for the 16,000 customers still without power as eastern Canada’s ice storm recovery enters its seventh day.

Officials say some households could be in the dark into the new year.

In a press release issued Saturday, city officials also warned residents to be cautious of falling ice and branches as temperatures across the city rise.

One Hamilton worker is said to have suffered injuries after being struck in the head by falling ice, though he was wearing his hardhat.

PowerStream, which provides electricity to areas directly north of Toronto, said less than 1,000 customers remain without power as of Saturday morning.

Veridian, who services areas east of Toronto including Ajax and Pickering, said about 200 customers still don’t have restored power.

READ MORE: Thousands of Toronto residents still in the dark

Hydro One, which services rural communities throughout Ontario, said about 4,800 customers are still affected by the storm.

WATCH: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and City service supervisors debrief about the ongoing progress on repairing Toronto’s hydro infrastructure

As of Saturday morning, about 2,200 customers in Quebec and just under 12,000 in New Brunswick were still without power.

At a press conference on Friday, Toronto Hydro CEO Anthony Haines said power restoration efforts could be hampered in the coming days due to melting ice and forecasted winds.

Haines added there have already been additional power outages due to more falling branches.

He said Torontonians have been “amazing,” adding that people have been coming out to thank hydro crews and even offer them food.

But while they appreciate the thought, they’d rather people didn’t: Haines warned it could be dangerous, citing the downed lines and debris the crews are dealing with.

WATCH: Manitoba Hydro Construction Supervisor Warren Helgason on spending Christmas away from his family, helping to restore power in Toronto

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford defended his decision not to declare an official state of emergency, saying it would have only caused panic.

Ford said crews are doing everything possible to get power restored and that they’re working as fast as possible.

“We are moving ahead in a positive direction. Numbers are coming down dramatically,” he said.

READ MORE: Winds may bring down more branches in areas most affected by ice storm: Environment Canada

During a press briefing Friday afternoon Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne brushed aside criticism of government response and the presence of elected officials throughout the aftermath of the ice storm.

“I have to say that officials have responded in absolutely the way that I would have wanted. Not for one moment have I doubted that everyone was working as hard as they could and with as much coordination as possible,” Wynne said, adding that there were some “information flow issues” they could improve next time around.

“Quite frankly, I think we have done everything that we could have done.”

WATCH: Kathleen Wynne and other provincial officials update recovery efforts following Ontario ice storm

Additional hydro crews from Manitoba, Ottawa, Windsor and the United States have been called in to help Toronto restore power. But, officials still do not have a firm estimate as to when power will be back to normal.