The good news is that the storm has calmed down. It’s still windy and there’s still blowing snow and it’s still cold out there but it’s certainly not as bad as it was yesterday and Friday afternoon. Flurries and blowing snow are in the forecast for today.
However the latest issue likely caused by the storm is that 911 emergency calling is not available in Hastings County and Belleville.
Here are the phone numbers to call instead of 911 if you live in Belleville or Hastings County.
For the Belleville Police Service call 613-962-3456.
For the OPP call 1-888-310-1122.
For fire departments call 613-962-2010 ext. 0.
For Paramedic Services 1-800-267-2151.
Regarding traffic, as of four o’clock this morning Highway 401 is in effect closed from the Quebec border through Cobourg. Locally the highway is blocked in both directions at Brighton and in Napanee.
The Norris Whitney Bridge from Belleville to Prince Edward County remains closed.
Most county roads will likely not be plowed and be impassable. Roads remain closed in the county although plows have been working some main roads to help Hydro One crews repair power outages.
Snowmobiles are still being used by police and paramedics to get to some people who are in distress.
In urban Belleville south of Highway 401 the streets are in decent condition.
Via Rail has cancelled all of its trains between Toronto and Ottawa and Montreal today.
Hydro One has made progress but around 2,000 homes and businesses remain without power in Prince Edward, with large outages at Mountainview and around the Sandbanks. Hundreds remain without power in the Brighton area.
Hydro One predicts power should be back to most of those affected by sometime this evening.
Roads information is available here.
Power outage information can be found here.
