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2019 10 14

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Full restoration to all customers may take more than a week —

Partner utilities respond to State of Emergency

(WINNIPEG) — The full extent of damage to Manitoba Hydro’s transmission and distribution
system from the week’s unprecedented winter storm is now being realized, as the utility
continues its damage assessments today.

In addition to multiple collapsed steel towers on the transmission system, more than 1,000
wood poles have been confirmed broken and in need of replacement in the Interlake, with
another 1,000 broken poles needing replacement in the areas around Portage la Prairie.

Despite significant progress in restoring electrical service to customers across southern

Manitoba, including Winnipeg, as of 11 a.m. Monday, approximately 20,000 customers in the
province were without power, including many customers in the City of Portage la Prairie and a
number of remote Indigenous communities. Approximately 800 customers were without power
in the City of Winnipeg.

“The damage is on a scale never before seen in Manitoba,” said Jay Grewal, President and CEO
of Manitoba Hydro. “We’re likely going to find additional damage once repairs begin. We
estimate we may find almost another 1,000 poles that are damaged and need replacement.”

Damage assessment and preparation for significant restoration work continued today with
access now available to previously inaccessible areas. Manitoba Hydro crews are now compiling
lists of supplies and hardware needed to make repairs and restore service. In some areas
rebuilds of entire parts of the electrical system are required. In addition, the utility has used
two helicopters to perform aerial line patrols to catalogue the damage to its distribution and
transmission systems. Areas hardest hit include the regions around Portage la Prairie, Neepawa,
Dauphin, Ashern and Arborg.

“Unfortunately, full restoration to all customers in those hardest hit areas will likely not be
complete for a period of seven to 10 days,” said Grewal. “We know the dangers these outages

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can cause to public and personal safety. We know the disruptions they cause to our customers’
daily lives and economic hit to the agriculture community. I wish I had better news to share.”

In Winnipeg, work to restore remaining customers in hardest hit areas has been slowed by the
high number of downed trees. Trees and large branches must be removed before assessments
and repairs can begin. Customers without power Monday may be without service for up to four
more days as crews essentially work door-to-door bringing on individual customers.

To address widespread outages, a State of Emergency was declared Sunday by the Province of
Manitoba, which allowed Manitoba Hydro to invoke mutual aid agreements in place with
neighbouring utilities. They are now sending materials, equipment and personnel to Manitoba
to aid in the reconstruction and restoration efforts. This is the first time Manitoba Hydro has
requested mutual aid from other utilities —an indication of the unprecedented damage to the
province’s electrical grid.

“With the ground so wet from the rain and melting snow, we need specialized equipment to
access areas where our lines are located,” said Grewal. “While Manitoba Hydro has a lot of this
equipment already, the scale of damage means we need even more. Our neighbours have
responded, and we and our customers are extremely grateful.”

So far, Saskatchewan Power Corporation is sending five diggers, two bucket trucks, and one
tracked crane, along with 21 staff to operate the equipment and assist Manitoba Hydro crews
working in the Portage, Neepawa, and Dauphin areas. Hydro One in Ontario is providing several
pieces of equipment, like tracked diggers, bucket trucks, and service vehicles, along with 20
staff to assist Manitoba Hydro crews in Arborg and other areas of the Interlake.

Help is also arriving from south of the border. Minnesota Power is providing tracked equipment
and 14 staff to assist with restoration efforts in the Portage la Prairie area.

“So much of the damage in the hardest hit areas aren’t simple repairs,” added Grewal. “We’re
talking about having to rebuild miles of distribution lines, and rebuild sections of our
transmission network, including enormous steel towers. The work will continue even after
customers are restored, as we make temporary repairs to restore service as quickly as possible
before beginning work on permanent fixes. Make no mistake — this is a very serious situation.”

Cont’d…

For Further Information Contact: Bruce Owen — Media Relations Officer 204-360-3651
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Do not use fuel-burning equipment for heating

Manitoba Hydro is reminding customers to never use portable fuel-burning equipment -

generators, patio heaters, barbecues or camp stoves - inside your home for heating or cooking.

Fuels from natural gas, wood, propane, oil, gasoline, diesel, coal or kerosene stoves and
appliances create carbon monoxide – a highly toxic gas that makes you sick and can cause
death.

The utility also reminds customers with portable generators to never run them in a house,
garage, or other enclosed building, also because of the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Always run them outside, and plug your critical appliances directly in the generator using an
extension cord. Do not connect the generator to your house wiring as electricity could flow
back to our grid, endangering Manitoba Hydro crews working to restore service in your area.

Grewal said the support from customers as the utility works through the restoration is nothing
short of amazing.

“On this Thanksgiving Weekend, when so many lives have been disrupted, I know I speak for all
of us when I say I sincerely appreciate your patience as we work through this disaster,” she
said. “Your response and warmth shown to our crews is incredible during a time when I know
it’s been a very real challenge, and many of you feel at the end of your rope.

“Please know the people at Manitoba Hydro are committed to get your power back as soon as
we can. We thank you for your support and patience.”

Manitoba Hydro asks customers to only call the utility’s Contact Centre in the event of a
downed line or other serious emergency to minimize wait time for emergency service response.
Customers can get the latest information on power outages and report them online from their
smart phones at https://www.hydro.mb.ca/outages/

Customers can refer to the Manitoba Hydro website for tips on how to prepare for a power
outage at https://www.hydro.mb.ca/outages/power_outages/

Also follow Manitoba Hydro on social media:

Twitter: @manitobahydro Facebook: @manitobahydro

For more information, please contact:

Bruce Owen — Media Relations Officer Scott Powell — Director, Corporate Communications
T: 204-360-3651 T: 204-360-4417
C: 204-794-8270 C: 204-299-8849
E: bowen@hydro.mb.ca E: spowell@hydro.mb.ca