Shellbrook Chronicle June 29th

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Shellbrook

Chronicle

1912 ~ 2012 www.shellbrookchronicle.com VOLUME 101

The Voice Of The Parkland Since 1912 SHELLBROOK, SASKATCHEWAN

FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012

PMR #40007604 No. 26

Summer storm leaves region blacked out A vicious summer storm knocked out power for most of the region Monday night leaving residents and businesses scrambling. Weather events causing damage to power infrastructure in the Meadow Lake, Prince Albert and North Battleford areas left those areas and points in between without power through for varied periods of time. Despite early estimates of power outages of up to 48 hours, the lights came back on in Prince Albert Tuesday night around 10 p.m. while power was restored in Shellbrook sometime after 11 p.m, roughly 24 hours after they went off. However, some areas in the region were still without power at press time. SaskPower issued warnings for rotating power outages around the region through Wednesday afternoon but by press time in Shellbrook, that had yet to take place. The outages, according to SaskPower corporate communications officer Leanne Jarocki, were taking place for line testing. “They are doing some rotating outages because they are trying to stabilize the system and doing some testing of the temporary line. As they switch power over, they are going to need to de-energize some of the lines while they energize others,” said Jarocki. She reported that upwards of 30 power structures had been damaged including major damage to 3 major power lines. Reports of heavy rains in the Prince Albert area are making the repair efforts difficult but the crews continue to make headway in their efforts. Through Tuesday, the hum of generators could be heard from residences and businesses around the community. Businesses like Shellbrook Bigway and Parkland Meats employed large generators to avoid losing their cold and frozen goods while residents plugged their fridges and freezers into smaller portable units. The power outage combined with nearly two and a half inches of rain Monday night caused serious problems for the Town of Shellbrook public works department as lift stations were unable to move water without electricity leading to some sewer backups. Crews had their hands full Tuesday as sewer trucks were

Throughout the day Tuesday, local youth beat the heat with a dip in what is locally called Elliot Lake, off the corner of 7th Avenue East and Main Street in Shellbrook. The water catch basin was basically dry before Monday night’s downpour. Pictured here are James Reddekopp, Dawson Matchee, Madison Bourgeault, Taylor Hladun, Kobe Whitecap, Tyler Potts, Shayden Smith and August Ermine-Bates.

used to pump out storm sewers to take some pressure off of the system. The heavy rain also caused or uncovered damage in the sewerline at the east end of Second Avenue East as the Town had to excavate the street in search of the damaged or blocked pipe. Further details were not available at press time. During this time, SaskPower recommends the following to help customers stay safe If you see a downed power line, always assume it’s energized and stay well back. Call SaskPower immediately. If someone is injured, call 911. Phone SaskPower’s 24-hour tollfree outage number: 310-2220. This number is dedicated to power emergencies. Turn off or unplug appliances, computers or electronics. Leave one light switch turned on so you’ll know when power has been restored.

Fatal rollover on Ahtahkakoop A 20 year old female has died following an early morning roll over on the Ahtahkakoop First Nation June 23. At 8:00 am, that morning, Ahtahkakoop RCMP and Spiritwood EMS responded to a single vehicle rollover on Ahtahkakoop just off of grid 790. The female and a male were reported as being injured in the collision. The female driver was ejected from the vehicle and was transported to Shellbrook Hospital to be transferred to Saskatoon. She died of her injures enroute. The 20 year old male passenger was treated at Shellbrook Hospital and is expected to recover. Neither occupant was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the rollover. The in-

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS

TOLL FREE:

vestigation is ongoing. No further details were available at press time.

Chronicle Grad edition delayed The Shellbrook Chronicle special graduation supplement, which was due to be on the street July 6 will be delayed a week until July 13. The delay is the result of production slowdowns caused by this week’s power outage. The Chronicle regrets any confusion this may have caused.

Thank you for your LOYALTY and PATRONAGE. 1.877.898.8248 (TAIT) Shellbrook  Canwood  Leask  www.taitinsurance.ca


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