Damaging ice storm wreaks havoc across Simcoe County with downed branches, uprooted trees and power outages

Barrie, Ontario Mayor Alex Nuttall discusses the aftermath of 48 hours without power, widespread devastation in the community, and outlines the ongoing cleanup.

Residents across Simcoe County woke to widespread power outages and the eerie sounds of crackling ice and snapping branches as an ice storm wreaks havoc across the region, forcing several road closures.

Environment Canada issued a freezing rain warning on Friday for the area, noting ice accretion of six to 12 millimetres, and alerting residents to likely power outages and hazardous conditions.

By Sunday morning, those predictions became reality.

Several local roads are blocked by downed branches and power lines. Houses sustained damage, including one on Meadowland Avenue in Barrie’s south end after a massive tree uprooted.

The blasts of sirens can be heard as police, paramedics and fire trucks make their way to the endless calls for service. Ice-laden branches snapping under the weight have taken several power lines with them, prompting warnings from officials to keep away from any downed power lines.

“Freezing rain continues to affect Central Region today (Sunday), causing dangerous conditions on roadways and resulting in multiple incidents, including injuries from falling trees,” Ontario Provincial Police with Central Region stated in a release. “We are urging residents to stay off the roads, as they remain icy, and to avoid unnecessary travel. Several trees have already fallen due to the weight of the ice, injuring individuals and causing widespread damage.”

Police urge residents to remain indoors with the risk of falling branches. “Barrie police is suggesting to people to stay away from parks where there are large trees as the ice accumulation is making these areas very dangerous.”

Alectra crews are working to restore power to thousands, saying the most damage from the ice and freezing rain has been in Barrie, Penetanguishene, and Richmond Hill.

At the peak of the storm, nearly 44,000 customers are without service Sunday morning, including 28,000 in Barrie.

“Progress is slow due to the ice on the lines, but all available resources have been deployed,” Alectra posted on social media Sunday around 11 a.m. “We know outages can be frustrating, especially for extended periods. We are using all available resources to get the power restored throughout our service area due to the recent ice storm that has caused so much damage.”

With cleanup efforts underway, officials urge residents to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary travel until conditions improve.

Declarations & Warming Centres

The City of Orillia and the Township of Oro-Medonte made state of emergency declarations on Sunday, advising residents that crews are working around the clock to clear downed trees off roads and that municipal facilities remain closed.

Barrie, Innisfil and many other communities around the region made significant weather event declarations.

Warming and relief centres were opened at the following locations:

• Barrie: Allandale Recreation Centre on Bayview Drive.
• Orillia: Orillia Recreation Centre on West Street South.
• Tay Township: Municipal office on Park Street.

Files by CTV’s Mike Lang