Matthew Warner
Psytext
The worst recorded blackout in Canadian history was in December 22st, 2022. This four night, and 6-day blackout yielded multiple fatalities, property damage and loss of income. The most disturbing part about this which could have been a preventable issue is the fact that it happened 4 days before Christmas.
The snow storm that swept over Quebec, and parts of the United States, including Buffalo devastated most of the Fort Erie, Ontario area, including its various townships. It seems almost too convenient that the power outage during the holidays took place right before Christmas eve. With no power, heat or way to leave a location that is slowly deteriorating, you slowly come to realize that this is going to be how you are spending Christmas. Fighting for your own survival. December 22nd marks the date of the Fort Erie Whiteout. A major storm blanketed the entire region, knocking out power, and communications for 6 days and 4 nights. Because of road closers, accidents and blockages from snow, many of the citizens in the area were left with no way to leave to a safer location , receive any form of assistance, or even call for help, because phone service was down.
“I called 911 in order to find out what was happening. I was sent to the United States because our towers were not working correctly. I tried multiple times, but my phone was barely getting any service, and I was losing battery power. I was forced to use my vehicle to charge my phone in a desperate attempt to get communication."
"Know one can hear you when you make a phone call. I try and try, and it is Christmas. I am without power, heat and the ability to leave to a safe location." These are only some of the frustrated feelings expressed by those trying to contact loved ones during the holidays during this time. The understanding that there is an issue, does not help with the fact that they are still unable to leave, or correctly communicate with anyone outside of chopped messages. Emails, internet service, and phone service were all completely inaccessible for four nights and 6 days straight until the system was put back online."
Trees and Power Lines
Whose responsibility is it to ensure that the trees surrounding power lines are kept at a specific height? Are they going to hold presidents accountable for what has happened to the city because someone did not take the time to monitor the hazards that can ruin the lives of others?
Fatalities
Pets that require heat have no way of receiving it. This means that fish, lizards and small animals died in the extreme cold temperatures, while their owners were helpless to do anything about it. Many people were trapped in their vehicles when the roads became impossible to navigate, adding to the physical damage done to people trying to escape the cold. This is a dangerous way of managing a community, and it could have been much worse than it was. The blame lies with the city itself, as they; like many instances, absolutely refuse to act under certain conditions. This is of course to save money, time and to fabricate a reason to ignore those they deem less than themselves. There are many more un reported fatalities. There was a bus load of travelers that got trapped on the highway, and were buried for days on end. This included infants and elderly citizens. There was NO news report that mentioned the amount of people who froze to death when there was no lack of assistance.
Future Protocols
The future of the lives and safety of the citizens of the area are in jeopardy. Will there be protocols put in place to ensure that further damage to power lines is limited, or impossible? Or is it too much time and effort for city officials to implement a basic tree maintenance safety order? Is this going to be another issue that is swept under the rug because some members of society do have the finances to purchase power generation systems, while others are left without heat, power or warm water.
Some homes, areas and sections of the city have backup power supplies. This is not indigenous to all the homes in the region. The low income families do not have access to cars, money or ways to escape the cold, and are the first ones to be susceptible to the damage done by weather anomalies.
The time frame seems more than convenient. Because the power went off directly before Christmas eve, and came back on right after Christmas at the same time. It almost suggests that the company was already willing to leave energy off for that allotted amount of time and could have fixed the issue sooner.
The resources that are put in place towards city Maintenance need to be taken into account to prevent this from happening in the future.
"After the second night of no power and no heat, wrapped in a parka and whatever blankets I had in the house I started having dreams and or hallucinations about the power coming back on. Of course these are only dreams, and I will awake to the cold, howling wind, and no hope of eating, washing correctly, or making phone calls."
Situations like this make you realize that you may be taking things around you for granted. Simple things like the ability to turn lights on or warm food can become monotonous if you have them for prolonged amounts of time. As opposed to the 1977 blackout in New York that lasted for 24 hours, the citizens of Fort Erie, Ontario survived a blackout that lasted for over 6 days. This included loss of water and communication to emergency services. No one has resorted to any form of barbarism or savagery, and instead the public found ways to help each other, and use their limited resources to survive.
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