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Hydro One works to restore power to 150,000 customers in communities most affected by storm

August 3, 2006, 9:00 a.m. — The severe summer storm that moved through southern Ontario on the evening of August 2 resulted in power outages to approximately 150,000 Hydro One customers. Hydro One emergency crews working through the night were able to restore power to approximately 20,000 customers.

Hydro One crews have been mobilized to assess and repair the damage resulting from the storm. Initial indications are that some customers in the most impacted areas will remain without power for 3 to 5 days.

Initial reports indicate to that the damage is the most extensive in the following areas:

"This second severe storm in as many weeks has caused considerable damage to our system," said Myles D'Arcey, Senior Vice President, Customer Operations, Hydro One. "Our emergency crews worked through the night and significantly more field staff were deployed early this morning to conduct further damage assessments and to commence our restoration effort."

Important Safety Information

Hydro One strongly urges people to take extra precaution near fallen power lines. Even if a fallen wire seems dead, it can be dangerous. People are urged to report to Hydro One the location of the fallen wires as soon as possible. Touching a vehicle that is in contact with a power line can be fatal.

Restoring Power to Customers with Customer-Owned Equipment

Hydro One advises customers that their privately-owned electrical equipment may have sustained damage in this week's storm. If you know that your customer-owned equipment is damaged, you will need to hire a qualified electrical contractor to undertake necessary repair work who will then arrange for the required ESA inspection and Hydro One reconnection to restore your power.

For the most recent information on power outages go to www.HydroOneNetworks.com.

Hydro One owns and operates Ontario's 28,400 kilometre high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 122,000 kilometre low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.2 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Ontario Government.

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For more information and to make arrangements for photography, contact Hydro One Media Relations 24 hours a day at 1-877-506-7584 (toll-free in Ontario only) or 416-345-6868. Our Web site is www.HydroOne.com.