Downed Trees On Power Lines In NB Difficult To Avoid In High Winds

Less than 100 NB Power customers remain in the dark, days after Dorian’s wrath.

Much of the power was knocked out due to high winds forcing down trees onto power lines.

Spokesperson for the utility Marc Belliveau says vegetation will always be an issue in this province when storms hit, because New Brunswick has one of the most densely forested areas in North America.

“The winds that we got, if they were in Saskatchewan would have caused no issues, because there are no trees. That is probably the simplest way to put it, even with all of the vegetation management we do, with that type of situation, with those kid of conditions, it is very difficult to battle.”

He adds before Hurricane Arthur hit in 2014, NB Power was spending around $6 million on trimming and removing trees. This year it is about $14 million.

He says, “The thing that causes us the most issue is, there are so many trees and such large trees close to our wires, that it is almost impossible in a case where there are 100 kilometre an hour winds and saturated ground, to battle that kind of situation.”

Some customers may be without power overnight and we are contacting the affected customers to let them know this evening. We apologize for the inconvenience as restoration efforts continue. pic.twitter.com/SeCh13noCP

— NB Power (@NB_Power) September 10, 2019