As thousands of residents are still in the dark, some are trying to find the willpower to overcome another weekend of interruptions.
In one of the most affected areas of the city, right next to Merivale Road, an apartment with many elderly residents is still without electricity and hot water.
A backup generator offers little light in the dark corridors of the Westpark condo building in Parkwood Hills, but residents are struggling.
People used headlights to find their way to a common area of the building known as the party room, which quickly became a comfort spot after the storm.
“There were some people who were in tears and trembling, and others who accepted it as if it was reassuring to talk to people,” said Barbara Thompson, president of the apartment board.
The generator provides limited power in this building of nearly 200 units and more than 300 inhabitants.
“After the tornado hit in 2018, we decided to put an emergency power supply in our party room,” Thompson said. “The party room is open, we drink coffee and you can charge your mobile phones.”
“If we didn’t have that, I don’t know what we would have done,” said Lori Hanson, a resident.
Many people who live here are elderly and need refrigeration and the help of personal support workers.
“One elevator of a generator went out. “I was thinking of calling the fire department to get them to carry people up the stairs,” Thompson said.
The storm hit the building hard and there was a horrifying moment when a maintenance platform collapsed to the ground.
“A swinging stage lifted six floors, bounced off a tree and then crashed into the building,” Thompson said. “I’ve never been so scared in my life, it was horrible.”
The platform shattered in a window on the fifth floor, but no one was in the room at the time.
As the cleanup continues, there is hope that the power will return soon.
“I don’t know how I’m going to handle it, I really don’t know how,” Hanson said. “I could do it today, maybe tomorrow morning, but the thought of tomorrow, Sunday and Monday is like what I’m going to eat.”
Disappointment and sadness, as people here celebrate seven days without electricity or hot water.
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