Sylvia Sutherland and David Phillips reflect back on catastrophic storm that killed a number of people and damaged huge swath of Ontario.
PETERBOROUGH-A former mayor of Peterborough who led the city through not one but two devastating floods said the latest storm in the city was unique and comes with a different set of challenges. Sylvia Sutherland made her comments on May 26, five days after the almost unbelievable weather system hit the city, much of the rest of the Kawarthas and beyond.
The violent wind storm that ripped through killed three people in our region, toppled hundred year old trees and left tens of thousands without electricity. Many people were still in the dark on May 27, almost a week later.
“I was mayor for the two great floods and while there was a lot of property damage…but it was nothing quite like this. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Sutherland said. “Your heart is sick about it. Trees are like a member of the family. The tree canopy in Peterborough will be generations until it returns to what it was, if we ever get it back. It’s tragic.
Sutherland added that she has not visited all over the city as yet, including Little Lake Cemetery since the storm hit as access to many areas had been blocked by downed trees,, but she said she has seen photos and described the damage as heart-breaking.
“On the other hand, some people lost their lives in the Kawarthas but I suppose you can always say it could have been worse although it is hard to imagine that when you look around,” said Sutherland.
Sutherland said she feels quite fortunate that her power came back on overnight Sunday but she added she is well aware that all kinds of people were without hydro for days, including some of her neighbours. Sutherland said she is no expert when it comes to the city’s infrastructure so she was not prepared to address the days-long blackout.
“What I can say is that we learned how fragile our infrastructure can be during the second great flood in Peterborough (in 2004). Our sewer system and other parts of our infrastructure were overloaded and needed repair. Any older community is going to have infrastructure problems. But my heart goes out to everyone who has suffered and is still suffering through this blackout,” she said.
Sutherland said this event is an opportunity for people to reassess their faith and attachment to the power grid.
“We are so reliant on it and it shows when electricity goes out. We had a cottage north of Madoc for years and it did not have power and we never missed it. But I did still struggle for the few hours I was without power.”
Sutherland was mayor of Peterborough from 1985 to i991 and again from 1997 to 2006.
Lyla Garzouzi, the Chief Safety Officer with Hydro One, says she has worked with the company for almost 20 years and has never seen anything like it.
“We had 1500 hydro poles and four transmission towers crumpled like cardboard.” said Garzouzi. “This is an extreme event the winds were excessive, the force was enough to snap poles. It is not common but that said this is the reason we continue to invest in infrastructure. We need to renew, we need to build more switches, more tie lines so we can get our community and customers back online as quickly as possible.”
Meanwhile, David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada and probably the country’s best known meteorological prognosticator, concurred with Sutherland. He too said he has never seen a storm quite like this before.
“A wild event. It reminded me of a winter storm that blows through from Windsor to Ottawa. Normally a summer storm hits a neighbourhood. This was a province-wide event that you just don’t see in the summertime,” Phillips said. “I was also shocked by the bad luck involved in the storm happening during the summer kickoff long weekend. People were opening the cottage. They were camping or hiking or golfing or gardening. The day started out with perfect weather for those activities. Then all hell broke loose.”
Photo Courtesy Wikipedia
Phillips said it will be a billion dollar storm and insurance only covers so much.
“It’s not really about the financial loss. It’s about losing the shade tree in the front yard that really marked your property. You grew up with it. Your kids and grandkids grew up with it and now it’s gone – it’s history,” Phillips said. “There is a real emotional attachment to trees.”
Phillips said weather warnings went out as soon as possible that day and just like Sutherland talked about our over-reliance on power, Phillips said we are too often counting on forecasters to tell us about violent weather.
“You best tool is your sight and the rest of your senses. If you feel the temperature dropping ten degrees in a hurry and the skies darkening in a matter of minutes as it did on Saturday, well then it’s time to take precautions against severe weather.
For Hydro One is like putting a puzzle together.
“It’s the complexity of the puzzle we are putting together as we reconstruct the grid. It’s really about every time we are out there we use the latest and greatest materials and technology to rebuild.”
