Pick-up truck snaps off hydro pole, causing power outage on Durham Street, Kincardine

A pick-up truck went off the roadway, knocking out a hydro pole and causing a power outage, along Durham Street, between Kincardine District Secondary School and the Davidson Centre in Kincardine, Thursday afternoon.

The accident happened around noon and that section of road was closed while Westario Power workers cleaned up the mess and tried to restore power as quickly as possible. They hoped to have the hydro back on at the high school and area properties by 6 p.m.

KDSS principal Mark Ozorio said the power went out right before lunch, so many students went home for lunch or went out to eat, as they normally do.

"Those who stayed behind were asked to go to the library or the cafeteria for safety and supervision because the halls were dark and there was natural light in those two locations," said Ozorio. "Through a number of inquiries, we learned about the accident and the closure of the east end of Durham Street. The fire department also let us know that power was unlikely to be restored for a number of hours."

Ozorio said that by the end of the lunch period, a plan was in place. "Similar to two days before (Jan. 12), when the buses turned around because Highway 21 was closed right at the end of the school day, we knew that most of our students had safety/contingency plans for this kind of occurrence. On that day, within a half-hour or so, the majority of our students were picked up, got rides, billeted with friends and relatives, and so on. Cell phones, when used appropriately, are a great invention.

"Today, we messaged students to contact their parents to arrange for a pick-up or to enact their bus cancellation plan. For those who were unable to do so, the school remained open in areas that were still warm and had natural daylight, such as the cafeteria or the library, again with staff to supervise. We had flashlights to light the halls and the bathrooms after all the electricity went out and the emergency lighting died. The regular buses came at the regular bus time at the end of the day to take any remaining students home."

Ozorio said he neither sent students home because the school remained open in a limited way, nor did he call the buses in early which is a nearly impossible task. "But we made do, as appropriate, given the circumstances. As expected, most students made plans and a small group stayed put. All staff and students were very co-operative and things went smoothly."

 

At the Davidson Centre, swimming lessons, aquafit and all other pool programs scheduled for Thursday night were cancelled due to the power outage.