Nova Scotia Power Hurricane Recovery
Client
Nova Scotia Power
Location
Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Originating in 1919 as Nova Scotia Power Commission, the company was established as a crown electrical utility. Today Nova Scotia Power provides 95 percent of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in Nova Scotia, and serves 500,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across the province.
Hurricane Dorian was the most intense tropical cyclone on record to hit the Bahamas and the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. It was also one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. By the time the storm reached Nova Scotia, its winds were 155 km/h and rainfall was as high as 161 mm. The extreme weather event toppled a construction crane in Halifax and cost the region upwards of $105 million in insurance damage, tearing up the countryside and levelling the power grid to the tune of $39 million, the costliest in Nova Scotia Power’s history.
When Nova Scotia Power suffered its disaster, it called Black & McDonald (B&M) to come to the rescue. On September 6, 2019, B&M sent 15 people, including seven line trucks and one support truck to assist with the Hurricane Dorian relief efforts. When the crews arrived in Port Hawkesbury, the entire town was dark. They immediately got to work on restoring power for residents and critical buildings such as the local hospital.
B&M SCOPE OF WORK
The main scope of work for B&M consisted of backlot pole line repair at local and remote sites. The team worked hand-in-hand with the Canadian Armed Forces to restore the power grid. The team worked for almost four days without power or running water and still managed to bring back power services in record time to local residents.
BENEFITS TO CLIENT AND PROBLEMS SOLVED
When the people of Port Hawkesberry suffered the loss of power infrastructure following Hurricane Dorian’s wrath, B&M answered the call to support the Canadian Armed Forces and Nova Scotia Power to get the lights back on.
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