With power restored, attention turns to cleanup following ice storm

December 22, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

As Aurorans get back to normal following the weekend ice storm, the Town’s warming shelter at the Aurora Seniors Centre has wound down.

By Christmas Eve, PowerStream had restored most of the power to affected Aurora homes with outages remaining in the Kennedy Street area from Bathurst to Murray Drive, along portions of Murray Drive, and Old Bloomington Road from Yonge to Bayview, including the nearby Steeplechase neighbourhood.

Aurora opened up the Aurora Seniors’ Centre as a warming station on Sunday afternoon to what was then over 3,000 households without power. Dozens of residents took refuge at the building through Tuesday morning, which eventually closed their doors at 12 noon.
The Centre will re-open Friday at 9 a.m.

“Town Crews are currently working to clear debris from sidewalks and boulevards to ensure the safety of residents,” said Michael Kemp, Manager of Corporate Communications for the Town in a statement. “In order to assist with these efforts, residents are asked not to place fallen debris onto the boulevard, next to the curb. The Town of Aurora is considering options for collection of residential debris and will be communicating this to the public at a later date.

“Residents are also advised to stay off trails as the priority remains on clearing debris from sidewalks and boulevards. As always, please exercise caution when walking on sidewalks as crews continue their efforts to remove thick layers of ice.”

As residents dug out and started cleaning up on Sunday, drivers had to be extra vigilant as power outages knocked out the bulk of Aurora’s traffic lights. They are still encouraged to check in on neighbours and relatives in case anyone is in need of a hand.

Region-wide, an estimated 70,800 customers were left without power.