ABOVE: Final Emergency Operations Centre update with the City of Calgary and Enmax.
CALGARY – After five nights in the dark, thousands of people living in the city’s downtown core woke up on Thursday to find their power had been restored.
Power was lost on Saturday evening after an underground fire sparked in the area of 8th Street and 5th Avenue S.W., severely damaging electrical systems.
However, Enmax was able to re-energize the area just after 5 a.m.
“The system is stable,” said Enmax President & CEO Gianna Manes. “This part of the system has been completely rebuilt, so there may be some bumps yet.”
“Things are looking strong so far,” she added. “Certainly if we do encounter any bumps, we will be working hard to make sure that they’re repaired.”
“The system is strong, it’s stable, and it’s back on”
Enmax says while the power may be on, their crews will remain in the downtown core as they complete repairs.
As a result, there will continue to be lane closures in the area while they finish their work.
“To all of those who were impacted, thank you for your patience and for being our customers,” said Manes.
Re-entry information for downtown residents
Entry to some buildings will be delayed while structures come back on-line.
“Now that the power is on, there are a number of other things that need to take place to ensure people get back into their homes and businesses safely,” said Director of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) Ken Uzeloc.
Crews will be inspecting safety systems and parkade ventilation in affected buildings, and water systems will be powered up.
Property managers of individual buildings will be able to determine when the buildings are running normally, and when it’s appropriate for residents to return.
“Building operators: go down to your buildings, check them out, and prepare for people to reoccupy your facilities.”
According to the City of Calgary, the outage impacted about 1,900 metered customers in 112 residential and commercial buildings.
Information Centre remains open
The Information Centre at Mewata Armoury (801 – 11 Street SW) will be open from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Thursday, to help provide people with information on how to reoccupy their residences.
The Red Cross will also be in the area to provide assistance for those in need.
Once you’re back inside your building
CEMA is encouraging residents who reoccupy their downtown homes to execute a safety check.
“We would recommend you do an immediate safety sweep of your residence,” said Uzeloc.
- If you have any natural gas appliances — such as stoves, fireplaces, heaters — make sure you don’t smell any gas.
- Make sure your stoves and ovens are off.
- Check for other devices that are plugged in but could cause problems, such as clothes irons or curling irons.
- Carefully plug in any devices you have. Some may need to be reprogrammed.
Shaw Customers
Most Shaw customers should see their service restored by the end of Thursday. However, those living closest to the fire may not see their service restored until Friday.
CLICK HERE for more details.
Water is still drinkable
“Water services has been conducting water testing throughout this event,” said Uzeloc. “All test results have come back showing that the water is the normal, high-level standard for the City of Calgary.”
It is possible water may be slightly discoloured when taps are first turned on, or that some sediment will be visible.
“We recommend you run the tap for a few minutes to clear this out,” added Uzeloc. “If it does not clear, please contact your building manager.”
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