Power has been restored to sections of Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., following power line disruptions caused by strong winds on Saturday. Belinda Whitford, the chief operating officer at the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC), reported that outages began around 2 a.m. Saturday. Although the local plant operator quickly restored power initially, power lines were downed again later due to debris from a building roof being blown off, resulting in a widespread outage.
The community experienced blizzard and wind warnings throughout Saturday, with gusts exceeding 90 km/h, but those alerts have now been lifted by Environment Canada. Whitford mentioned that early Sunday morning, the local plant operator managed to partially restore power to certain areas, including the airport. However, a full resolution is still pending as there is known damage that will require a team to address.
Despite the challenges, there is positive news as no poles or transformers appear to be damaged. Assessment of the extent of the damage will be carried out by the crews. In an update on Sunday afternoon, NTPC announced that a line crew and electrician are set to arrive in the community around 4:40 p.m.
The Ulukhaktok Inuit Co-op remains closed due to damaged power lines serving the store and parts of the building roof being blown off, as shared in a social media post. To provide relief, the health center and school, equipped with power generators, are operating as warming shelters.