OTTAWA, CANADA - The sudden fierce storm that collapsed a stage at Ottawa's Bluesfest Sunday wreaked havoc throughout eastern Ontario and western Quebec, with thousands losing power, reports of a tornado sighting and the deaths of two boaters.Winds were also reported as high as 120 km/h in Petawawa, Ont., while four-centimetre diameter hail was also seen near Abitibi Lake, which straddles northern Ontario and Quebec.
Environment Canada said the storm caused extensive damage across west Quebec, including uprooted trees, upturned boats in Ferme-Neuve — some 75 kilometres northeast of Maniwaki, and upturned mobile homes in Val-Des-Bois. A tornado was also reported in Val-Senneville, north of Val D'Or, Environment Canada said.- Hydro Ottawa said 15,000 homes in the city lost power after Sunday's storm sent trees and tree branches tumbling onto power lines.
As of Monday at 3 p.m. ET 3,800 were still without power. Hydro Ottawa said they expect to have power restored by the end of the day Monday.- Hydro One reported 60,000 homes in central and eastern Ontario also lost power, and the energy provider's outage map shows that number has dropped to about 23,000 as of Monday afternoon. Hydro One said power should be restored to most homes by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.
- Over 36,000 homes in west Quebec and another 43,000 customers also lost power in other parts of Quebec, including the Laurentians and Abitibi.
As of 2 p.m. ET, Hydro Quebec said the total outages has dropped to 49,000 province-wide. Hydro-Québec said they were also aiming to have power restored on Monday, but said there may be pockets without power for longer.Two men in West Quebec drowned during the storm. In one incident, high winds sent a 70-year-old man into the water from his paddle boat in the community of Mayo, north of Buckingham, Que. In the other incident, a 50-year-old man fell out of his boat at Baskatong Reservoir, some 200 kilometres north of Ottawa.
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