30,000 Quebecers without power after province hit by freezing ain - Yahoo! News

MONTREAL (CP) - Close to 30,000 Quebecers were left without power Wednesday after the province was hit hard by freezing rain.

The Laurentians and the Beauce, south of Quebec City, were the hardest hit regions as high winds combined with the freezing rain prevented work crews from accessing the troubled areas. Hydro-Quebec spokesperson Elodie Pestel said that while problems were widespread early Wednesday morning, the situation had improved somewhat later in the day.

By Wednesday evening 20,000 people were still without power, but Pestel said most of Hydro's clients would be reconnected by Thursday morning.

"(The problems) are not uniquely because of the weather," she said. "Repair crews are having trouble accessing the lines because the conditions are difficult. The ground is slippery."

According to reports, between 30 and 65 millimetres of rain and freezing hit the Montreal area Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

The rain helped create dangerous conditions for motorists and pedestrians alike.

Montreal's ambulance service said it had received more than 550 calls by Wednesday afternoon, many for pedestrians injured as a result of sidewalks that resembled skating rinks.

Montreal's two large hospitals reported treating a combined 58 patients for injuries related to the weather, including one person who was listed in serious condition.

As a precaution, police closed nearly a dozen slippery downtown streets.

Weather forecasters predict light fluries for Montreal overnight Wednesday, while the freezing rain is expected to head towards New Brunswick.

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