Ice storm wreaks havoc on homes, residents

The winter storm that made its way through the Sun Parlour on Wednesday, February 22 produced widespread power outages, damaged roofs and a few flooded basements.

Trees and branches were down everywhere you looked throughout Leamington, Kingsville and Wheatley, with hydro lines often coming down with them.

About 4,100 Leamington residences were without power on Wednesday evening for about six hours, while most of Kingsville and Wheatley were still without power Thursday morning.

Many in Wheatley, Kingsville and Leamington didn’t have power restored until Friday.

The sound of chain saws and wood chippers filled the air in some neighbourhoods as residents and municipal staff tended to trees and large branches blocking driveways and sidewalks.

Thursday’s warming temperatures helped the situation as the ice eventually melted off the trees and roofs.

For the second day in a row on Thursday, local school buses weren’t running and 17 Essex County schools were closed Thursday due to power outages. Wheatley Area Public School was also without power and closed for the day on Thursday. On Friday, a few schools across the county were still without hydro and remained closed.

A large branch fell onto the road on Danforth Avenue in Leamington. SUN photo

Tree damage at Seacliff Park in Leamington was evident on Thursday morning, February 23. The storm downed several trees and lots of branches in the area.