As the mercury reaches its lowest levels since the start of winter, thousands of NB Power customers have found themselves without electricity since Monday morning in Madawaska.
Around 9 a.m., around 5,000 homes and businesses were without power. By 4 p.m., this figure had decreased to 1,764, but these occupants still spent more than seven hours without electricity, while temperatures fluctuated between -15 and -25 degrees Celsius.
The sectors still affected in the afternoon included Baker Brook, Clair, Lac Baker, Saint-Jacques, Saint-Hilaire, Saint-François-de-Madawaska, Saint-Basile, Saint-Joseph-de-Madawaska, as well as the DSL of Saint-Jacques.
According to the NB Power website, these outages are caused by a break in the transmission network.
In a Facebook post, the City of Edmundston indicated that NB Power called on teams from elsewhere in the province to support Edmundston Energy in efforts to restore power.
-To help citizens, the Sports Pavilion Accommodation Center is open and ready to welcome those who need to warm up.
Furthermore, the City announced the closure of several municipal facilities, including the Saint-Basile arena, the Palladium, the Jean-Daigle Center, the Arts Center, the Mgr-W.-J.-Conway Public Library, the swimming pools of the Sports Pavilion, as well as the outdoor ice rinks.
It also asks the population and businesses to reduce their electricity consumption to avoid overloading the network when it comes back into service.
Finally, an important reminder, it is crucial not to use generators in garages or inside homes, due to the serious risks of carbon monoxide poisoning.
