QEC technicians scheduled to arrive Friday to complete repairs; community still under blizzard advisory
The Hamlet of Gjoa Haven declared a state of local emergency Thursday evening in the face of a lengthy power outage in blizzard conditions.
The community lost power at about 5 p.m. Wednesday. It came back for a short time the next morning, but another partial outage left parts of Gjoa Haven in the dark again Thursday. Severe weather has hampered efforts to restore power to the entire community.
The temperature Friday morning in Gjoa Haven was -26 C with winds of 51 km/h, according to Environment Canada.
The hamlet announced the state of emergency on Facebook Thursday, warning that even when power is fully restored, some homes may be uninhabitable for several days due to damage such as frozen water pipes.
Some buildings, including the high school, have been made available as a warming shelter.
Gjoa Haven teacher Benjamin Sajo said power returned to his home in the uptown area around midnight Thursday.
“It was very stressful for the community,” he said in a Facebook message. “My roommate and I went to the school gym to charge our phones and have coffee.”
The hamlet’s online message also said residents able to host others who are without power can receive up to $50 per person, per night, including food costs.
Sajo said residents from the harder-hit uptown area were transported to other parts of the community on the elders bus, while others, like him, stayed behind in cold homes.
“It was cold, but we held through,” he said.
Sajo said the outage compounded existing challenges. The community has been under a boil water advisory since Jan. 15, when a pipe connecting its water source to the treatment plant broke.
“We’ve had a very, very brutal winter,” he said. “A lot of people had some serious trauma. I’m counting my blessings.”
He said some families were already living in overcrowded homes and during the outage have resorted to using Coleman stoves indoors to stay warm. Officials warn the use of Coleman stoves indoors is dangerous, risking fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.
The community remained without power Friday, waiting for power line technicians from Taloyoak can land in the community. Poor weather grounded multiple attempts to bring them in Thursday, the update said.
The hamlet said it is working with Nunavut Emergency Management and the local housing authority to limit damage to homes and support displaced residents. Officials are also urging people to check on elders who may not have access to updates.
Despite the challenges, Sajo said, “The town came together in the end, and I’m happy my house now has power.”
