Strong winds have been wreaking havoc all over northern Alberta, and Athabasca is no exception. Overnight power lines, trees and other debris has been ripped apart and strewn across the town.
Strong winds have been wreaking havoc all over northern Alberta, and Athabasca is no exception.
Overnight power lines, trees and other debris has been ripped apart and strewn across the town.
The Athabasca Fire Department has issued a notice saying they are dealing with the issues caused by the wind, and to give them space to work.
The Athabasca Bottle Depot is out of power, and will be closed for the remainder of the day.
The Town of Athabasca crews have been battling the winds since 2 a.m.
Chief Administrative Officer Ryan Maier said they are taking things as they come.
“Wow. This is quite the wind, ” Maier said. “They were out and dealing with down trees and we have some power lines down by the Brick School. ”
Athabasca County is also working to clear debris from the roads.
Communications Coordinator Karl Kopan said the county has public works staff working to solve some issues resulting from the wind storm.
“We are working to clear some fallen trees from county roads, ” Kopan said. “Our grader operators and equipment operators are pushing as many as they can out of the path of vehicles. ”
Cell service for Bell and Telus also appears to be down.
A MCSNet tower in the Athabasca County Public Works yard has broken in half, however at this point the Athabasca Advocate has yet to determine if that is the cause of no cell service.
If you see a downed power line call Fortis at 310-WIRE(9473).
For trees on roadways please notify the town (675-2063) or county (675-2273) respectively.
For all other emergencies call 9-1-1.
