“It’s a tough day for Montrealers, for people across Quebec and parts of Ontario who are suffering from the power outages.“said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, traveling to Montreal.
Thursday evening, the road services were still hard at work to clear the streets and roads strewn with thousands of fallen trees due to the weight of the ice often damaging power lines.
“Montreal is devastated“but the situation is”under control“, estimated the Quebec Minister of Economy and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, during a press briefing on Thursday, when the warnings for freezing rain were lifted.
The authorities called for caution, in particular advising against wooded areas and the population from approaching trees and fallen wires. In Montreal, Mount Royal, the hill that dominates the city, has been closed.