The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has lifted the road closures in Prince Edward County.
“While we have seen improvement, the condition of more than 1,000 km of roads across the County varies and not all roads are passable. As well, visibility could be impacted by snow squalls,” Mayor Steve Ferguson. “I urge everyone to limit travel to essential trips, go slow, take extra time to get where you are going, and give snow-clearing operations extra space.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the staff who sacrificed Christmas with their families and loved ones,” Mayor Ferguson adds. “Also, thank you to all of the essential workers for their heroic efforts to keep us safe and deliver vital services over this extremely challenging period.”
Crews worked overnight to keep the main County road arteries cleared. Since early this morning, crews have been back out clearing secondary sideroads.
The municipality continues to remove abandoned vehicles that are impeding the flow of traffic. Call Fellows Towing 877.401.0401 or Shantz Towing 613.476.2517 to arrange retrieval of your vehicle. If your vehicle is in the ditch, you are responsible for arranging a tow service to remove it.
The County is encouraging all residents to contact their insurance companies if they have incurred costs or damages related to the winter storm. The municipality is investigating the possibility of disaster-relief funding from other levels of government. Updates will be provided as they become available.
Hydro One has restored power to many parts of the County. Visit the Hydro One outage map for updates and to report a power outage.
A snow squall watch is in effect for Prince Edward County on December 26. Snow squalls are expected to develop early this morning. Total snowfall amounts along the Lake Ontario shoreline near 20 cm are possible along with blowing snow due to southwesterly winds gusting near 50 km/h. Snow squall activity is expected to move south of the area overnight.
Snow squalls cause weather conditions to vary considerably; changes from clear skies to heavy snow within just a few kilometres are common. Travel may be hazardous due to sudden changes in the weather. Environment Canada recommends considering postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.
