Power outages from storm linger in Hamilton; Saltfleet high school closed

Saltfleet District High School is closed today and some Hamilton residents remain without electricity as a result of lingering power outages from a fierce weekend storm that caused chaos across Ontario.

A Hydro One map online still shows as many as 10 small power outages remaining in outlying areas including Dundas, Flamborough, Jerseyville and Puslinch. The total number of residents without electricity is unclear, but none of the local outages remaining in rural Hamilton affect more than 20 homes.

The brief-but-powerful thunderstorm initially knocked out power for thousands of Hamilton-area residents Saturday.

The utility said the storm damaged more than 1,000 hydro poles and downed as many power lines across Ontario. Harder-hit areas of the province could be without power for days.

At least nine people died in Ontario due to falling trees or branches, including one at Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area along the Grand River.

In Dundas, a tree fell through the roof of a home on Hillside Street South and emergency crews stayed busy Saturday evening removing power lines, fallen trees and branches from roads in various parts of the city.

As of Monday, Hamilton crews and four teams of contractors had responded to 220 calls about downed trees or branches, said Caleb Gibbons, a city forestry project manager. The majority of those calls came in the west lower city, Ancaster, Dundas and Flamborough.

Hamilton's public school board alerted parents Monday that Saltfleet District High School in upper Stoney Creek would be closed Tuesday as contractors worked to deal with power issues spurred by the storm. The closure includes the Today's Family child care centre.

All other public schools would be open, according to a notice from the board.

Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at for The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com