Many Maple Creek residents still without power after Tuesday storm

By KENDALL KING, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on April 8, 2022.

kking@medicinehatnews.com

While Medicine Hat has largely recovered from the high winds and sleet from earlier in the week, crews in the Town of Maple Creek were still working to clear debris and restore power to the area as of Thursday at 3:00 p.m.

“We had high winds (and) we had very heavy, wet snow,” Deputy Mayor Len Barkman told the News. “The heavy, wet snow stuck to the (power) lines and put some major pressure … With the snow on the lines and the winds, it just snapped the (power) poles like toothpicks.”

Barkman said crews have been working to restore power since Tuesday morning, but lingering snow and intermittent winds have posed challenges.

“We’re thankful the wind is down and it stopped snowing so, repairs are on the way,” Barkman said. “(On Tuesday), crews would be putting lines back up, and right behind them the wind would take another down … Sometimes they will work at night, but with the weather conditions they just shut it down – it was too hazardous. They resumed (Wednesday but) the other (challenge) they’re facing is it’s overwhelming how much they have to do.”

Barkman estimates there are about 25 power poles down in Maple Creek and 100 in the surrounding area.

“We’re not sure the estimated times (of when power will be restored),” he said. “SaskPower first said to us the power could be out anywhere from 24 hours to three days.”

In a series of tweets SaskPower estimated power would be restored to residents on the north side of Maple Creek, as well as Hatton, Golden Prairie and Piapot, by Thursday at 8 p.m. Residents on the south side, as well as Cypress Hills, Fort Walsh and Nekaneet, were told to expect total power restoration by 8 p.m. Friday.

In the meantime, the town has opened the doors of the Maple Creek Community Church.

“We have made available a warm place here in town,” said Barkman. “We hooked them up with a generator and they’re going at it there and are able to provide people warmth. (People) can actually stay there if they need to. (The Salvation Army is) providing meals for them … If we need to, we will also be opening up some other places.”

Barkman believes the town has responded to appropriately meet needs, however the loss of power has given rise to additional concerns.

“Our major concern right now is our water treatment plant, and so we’re just in the process of trying to get that back up and going so we have water,” Barkman said. “Right now we’re still OK with the water we have, nevertheless we need our power restored.”

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