The communities of Chisasibi and Wemindji, which both happen to be located near a major hydroelectric installation, have been without power since Monday.
Chief Abraham Rupert of Chisasibi says the Cree community of more than 4,000 has coped so far, without too many adverse effects.
"We're doing the best we can and we haven't had any reports of any major problems of people freezing or anything like that," he said in a phone interview Tuesday from the local fire hall.
"It's chilly, it's chilly, you can feel it when you step outside."
More than 1,200 Cree live in the community of Wemindji, which is located off the east coast of James Bay in the province's power-producing heartland.
On Tuesday, the temperature was -19 at mid-day, but with the winds, it felt more like -28.
Rupert said Hydro-Quebec hadn't offered any encouraging news.
"They can't really say anything definite about when they can restore power to the whole community," he said.
Electricity was restored to about 100 customers Tuesday afternoon and the local hospital was fully functional again, while power was also flowing to some major buildings.
Rupert said some people have wood stoves and they have been provided firewood. Emergency shelters have also been set up.
But members of his community may run out of patience with Hydro-Quebec if the power isn't completely restored soon.
"Right now, they're sort of tolerating it, but if it goes on for a couple of more days, people might start to get frustrated," he added.
The Cree leader chief suggests the blackouts may have been caused by a problem with transformers at the La Grande-1 power dam.
Origin
Source: Huff
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