Freezing rain, hoarfrost and windy weather knocked out electricity to the Stettler region Saturday, Jan. 23 for a few hours in the afternoon as customers were left in the dark and cold.
“It was basically hoarfrost that caused the problem,’ said Gerhard Schwarz, ATCO Electric customer service supervisor for the southeast region.
“Freezing rain, frosting started to create icing on the lines and then the wind creates a lot of stress on the lines and they break.”
Power went out in the Town of Stettler and surrounding area around 1 p.m. and was restored to most of the area around 3:30 to 3:45 p.m., he said.
For outlying areas, electricity was back by late afternoon or in the evening after crews repaired the broken wires and other related equipment that was damaged by the weather.
“It also causes fuses to go out,’ said Schwarz.
Crews were busy to return power as soon as possible to customers.
“We always want to restore power as soon as possible,” said Schwarz.
“We want to keep the staff and public safe.”
Regional staff was prepared for a possible power outage after the power was knocked out in Halkirk and Castor areas the day before for several hours.
“We knew the weather could cause a problem with our power so we had a plan so we had efficient staff,” said Schwarz.
Power initially went out around 9:50 a.m. in Castor, Halkirk, the rural areas, Fleet and Federal and was first restored to Castor around 12 noon while electricity fully returned to other parts of the region by late afternoon or in the evening.
ATCO Electric reminds people that everyone should be prepared for a power outage, especially in cold weather.
Homeowners need basic equipment like a flashlight with fresh batteries, blankets and warm clothing and a battery-operated radio to stay tuned with the news.
Other useful measures include turning off or unplugging appliances or equipment, keeping curtains and doors closed and carefully using fire and heaters.