Fredericton runway reopens for night flights as power outages continue in province

Close to 34,000 NB Power customers were still without electricity Monday afternoon after strong winds hit New Brunswick over the weekend, but the Fredericton Airport expected to resume flights Monday night afterlights were restored to one of its runways.

NB Power was slowly whittling down the number of customers that lost power after a weekend wind storm that also kept some schools from opening Monday morning.

• For the latest closures, checkNew Brunswick's Storm Centre

The airport announced that a runway closed to night flights on Sunday was again operational, and work was continuing on the electrical system. The airport said earlier that the weather did not cause the loss of runway lightsbut interfered with repairs.

"It's also made it a bit of an issue because those resources that we need to fix what's going on out of the airfield are in demand right across the province," said airport spokespersonKateO'Rourke.

Parts of the province were hit with 110-kilometre-an-hour winds Saturday night, and power was knocked out to more than 92,000 households.

Continued power failures led the province to step up warnings against unsafe use of generators.

More than 16,000customers still without power are in the Fredericton area and more than4,000 are in theMoncton,Riverviewand Dieppe areas.

• Windstorm knocked out power to more than 100,000 homes across Atlantic Canada
• Some N.B. residents could be without power for three days
• Dark, cold night awaits many New Brunswickers in storm's aftermath

Twenty-two schools, mostly in south-central and eastern New Brunswick, did not reopen Monday morningbecause of power outages.

There are 200crews working to restore power across the province throughout the day but NB Power says it still doesn't know when power will be fully restored. For some customers, it could be well into Wednesday.

Power out in New Brunswick

6 years ago

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New Brunswick is still waiting for power to be restored after Saturday's wind storm.

SheilaLagac, a spokesperson for NB Power, said crews from neighbouring provinces are expected to help.

Lagac said most of the outages were caused by trees making contact with power lines, but there were alsobroken poles and downed power lines.

Sparks flying

On Saturday night, Lisa Atkinsonnoticedtwo trees had caughtfire outside her home onJewettStreet on Fredericton's north side.

"I had sparks that were hitting my back deck [and] the firemen kept coming back, checking it out," she said.

"I stayed up all night watching it it was pretty scary."

She's been concerned about the trees and electrical lines in her backyard for years.About seven years ago, she asked officials to clean up the area and was told there was nothing to be concerned about and nothing was ever done.

"I have two big pine trees on the side of my home and there's many wires running through it. Mainly, I understand, it's cable and phone lines running through it but there's also the electrical running through it as well.

"That's one of the trees that fell over and tore all the lines down in this wind storm."

She's still without power and she has no idea when it willbe back.

"Mine's not an easy fix because the transformer took out part of the back fence, so it's on the ground," she said.

A silent killer

TheNew Brunswick's Emergency Measures Organization is warning people not to approach downed wires on roads or use generators indoors.

On Monday, four members of a family suffered carbon monoxide poisoning because they were using a generatorinside their home on Douglas Avenue in Fredericton.

They were treated and are recovering, but RobertDuguay, a spokesperson for EMO, said the situation could've been a lot worse.

"Our main concern from now on is the way people take action to protect themselves or their belongings, particularly when they use generators around their home," Duguay said in an interview withInformation Morning Fredericton.

"We want to make sure people are well aware of carbon monoxide poisoning risk and to make sure they use generatorsproperly around their house."

David McKinley,Fredericton'sassistant deputy fire chief, said the four family members were taken to the Dr. EverettChalmersHospital shortly after 8 a.m., after carbon monoxidelevels in some parts of the house read 600 parts per million, which is considered to be high.

Havingtrouble breathing and feeling nauseous, the family called 911.

"It's a silent killer,"Duguaysaid.

In January 2017,twopeople died from carbon monoxide poisoningafter the ice storm that hit the Acadian Peninsula.

• The silent killer: How carbon monoxide creeps into your home

Duguaysaid generators should be kept far from the home and should never be used in a garage, near windows or any ventilation system.

The emergency organization is also reminding people without power to keep their fridge doors closed to help reduce food spoilage.

Warming and charging stations have also been set up in a number of cities and communities:

Fredericton region

• Salvation Army, 531 St. Mary's St., Fredericton charging station only
• HanwellMunicipal Office, 5-1757 Route 640,Hanwell charging station only
• St. James Presbyterian Church, 1991 Highway 640,Hanwell charging station only, serving refreshments, open until 8 p.m.
• WillieO'ReePlace,MabieLane, Fredericton showers available open 6 a.m. to midnight Nov. 5 and 6
• Grant Harvey Centre, 600 Knowledge Park Dr., Fredericton showers available open 6 a.m. to midnight Nov. 5 and 6
• Fredericton YMCA, 570 York St., Fredericton showers available
• UpperNashwaakLions Club, 1284 Route 107, Stanley charging station only
• NashwaakVilla, 67 Lime Kiln Rd., Stanley
• UpperKingsclearFire Department, 22MazerolleSettlement Rd., UpperKingsclear showers available
• Estey'sBridge Community Centre, 1388 Route 620 Highway, Fredericton charging station only

Monctonregion

• HillsboroughVillage Office, 2849 Main St., Unit 1,Hillsborough charging station only
• Riverside-Albert Village Office, 5823 King St., Riverside-Albert showers available
• Alma Activity Centre, 8 School St., Alma charging station only
• Town ofRiverviewFire Station, 650 Pinewood Rd.,Riverview light refreshments, open until 7 p.m.
• Dieppe Aquatic and Sports Centre, 111AquatiqueSt., Dieppe showers available
• Dieppe City Hall, 333AcadieAve., Dieppe charging station only

MiramichiandCambelltonregions

• UpperMiramichiFire Department, 6327 Route 8,Boiestown open until this evening.
• UpperMiramichiMunicipal Office, 6094 Route 8,Boiestown showers available open until this evening
• BlackvilleFire Hall, 135 Main St.,Blackville open until 10 p.m.
• Civic Centre, 44 Salmon Blvd.,Campbellton open until 9 p.m.

Fundy region

• Town Hall of GrandBay-Westfield, 609 River Valley Drive open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.