Power back for some in southwest, but outages could linger until Saturday

A large number of people are still waiting for the lights to come back on in southwest Saskatchewan after Tuesday’s storm devastated the provincial power grid.

On its website, SaskPower said electricity was restored to east and north neighbourhoods of Maple Creek late Wednesday night. However, the rest of the town, including the water treatment plant, remains offline and there is no estimated time for repairs.

The night before, the Crown corporation said power would be restored to most buildings by Thursday morning.

In a media release Thursday afternoon, SaskPower said 1,880 customers were still without power — 357 in Maple Creek, 738 in the area to the north and east including Hatton, Golden Prairie and Piapot, and 785 to the south including Cypress Hills and Nekaneet.

The company expects the remainder of the main line to the north of Maple Creek to be restored by 10 p.m. Friday, and the main line south to be complete by 10 p.m. Saturday.

“Damage has been extensive, and some customers who have experienced damage on secondary lines feeding their properties will remain without power beyond these timelines,” the release said. “SaskPower is still assessing the full extent of the damage, with a helicopter patrol currently underway.”