Hot News: Calgary snow causes major power outages during storm

About 30,000 Calgary homes and businesses are still without power after a freak September snowstorm blanketed the city, and officials are expecting some Calgarians will have no power overnight.

'We are still very much in an active situation,' said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

Emergency responders and utility workers have been scrambling to deal with power lines downed by snow-laden tree branches. They expect work to continue into Thursday, and the cleanup could take days or even weeks.

The city says it is waiving tipping fees at local landfills for Calgarians to dispose of debris. Residents are being asked not to put broken branches in the blue recycling bins, green organic bins or black garbage bins.

'Don't be alarmed if you hear chainsaws [tonight],' said Nenshi.

The mayor said the priorities right now are keeping Calgarians safe, restoring power and clearing the roads for the afternoon commute.

Earlier Wednesday morning, more than 70 neighbourhoods were experiencing power outages. A spokesperson for the city-owned utility Enmax says the situation is very fluid, and more power outages are expected to come as more trees break under the weight of the heavy snow.

Emergency crews are busy responding to reports of sparking and smoking power lines. City officials say if you see a downed line call 311, and if you see a sparking line call 911.

City officials say there are scattered phone outages in the south end of Calgary. If a resident has no phone access, they can attend any local city building to get help. Emergency centre opened

Fallen branches are also blocking many roads and m ore than 50 traffic lights are out, which city officials say is having an impact on major routes such John Laurie Boulevard, Crowchild Trail and Bow Trail.

The city opened its Emergency Management Centre to co-ordinate calls. Officials ask that only emergency calls be made to 911 about life-threatening events.

Other calls about fallen trees should be made to the 311 call centre, which has received more than 1,000 calls on Wednesday morning.

Officials said crews are having to prioritize and respond to the most urgent situations.

Police and fire crews are taping off areas where there may be a risk to people, such as a power line lying across a road.

.@cityofcalgary calls @ABGovWildfire answers! 20 firefighters are en route to remove fallen trees due to snowfall. pic.twitter.com/5FlIDjV7Da- Wildfire Management (@ABGovWildfire) September 10, 2014 'Challenging evening commute'

'We are going to have a challenging evening commute,' said Ken Uzeloc, the director of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency.

Calgary police are out on the roads directing traffic affected by power outages, and road crews are busy clearing snow and sanding bridge decks. Nenshi is encouraging everyone who can stay home to do so.

Calgary Transit is warning customers to expect delays because of the storm.

The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) said many schools - including William Aberhart High School, Henry Wise Wood High School, John G. Diefenbaker High School and Branton School - were open to students despite the power outages, but some parents say their children were turned away upon arrival.

'We had approximately 60 facilities without power for at least a portion of the day,' said the CBE in a release. 'As of 3:45 p.m. there were still 19 schools without power. This number is changing quickly as power is restored.'

The school board says buses are still running and parents can get updates on 'My school bus monitor.'

'The CBE will continue to monitor the status of all of our schools overnight and will provide an update by 6:45 Thursday morning.'

The Calgary Christian School was closed Wednesday. The Calgary Zoo is also closed because of the danger posed by fallen and leaning tree branches,as is Heritage Park, the Calgary Zoo and Fish Creek Provincial Park.

The city says most regional parks and pathways are closed due to safety concerns. While many local parks are open, officials are advising residents to remain extremely cautious.

Some Calgary recreation facilities are also closed.

The first day of competition at the Masters show jumping tournament at Spruce Meadows has also been postponed.

The electrical supply on Tsuu T'ina Nation just west of the Calgary city limits has also been disrupted.

'For the impacted residents, food will be available at the Spirit Healing Lodge,' said an Alberta Emergency Alert. 'Residents can also warm up at the Elders Lounge in the Administration Building. On-reserve schools and daycare have been closed for the day.' Airport delays, power outages

Air Canada tweeted a link for travellers to check their flight status and re-book online, saying change fees would be waived.

A spokeswoman for the Calgary International Airport said the snow has mostly caused minor delays mainly associated with de-icing planes, but some flights have been cancelled.

Travellers are being encouraged to check their flights before heading to the airport.

Enmax says power outages are affecting the following neighbourhoods:

Southwood, Haysboro, Canyon Meadows. Rosedale, Crescent Heights. ​Willow Park, Acadia. North Glenmore Park, Lincoln Park, Glenmore Park. CFB - Lincoln Park, CFB - Currie, Altadore. Shawnee Slopes, Millrise, Midnapore, Fish Creek Park. Rural S.W., Rural S., Evergreen. Dalhousie. Montgomery, Bowness.

Enmax officials said they cannot put a timeline on when power will be restored to all parts of the city.

'This is actually in pretty much all quadrants of the city with the exception of the northeast,' said Enmax spokeswoman Doris Kaufmann. 'It has been the least touched. Enmax has brought on additional crews to assist with all of that effort getting the power on.'

Nenshi asks those in affected power outage areas overnight to check on the welfare of their neighbours, especially the elderly. No injuries so far

Uzelock says the city's priority is to get blocked roads cleared.

'The overall cleanup may take a few days, because what crews are doing are chopping up any trees that are impacting things, and then moving them off to the side,' he said.

Calgarians all over the city have been jumping out of the way as branches fall to the ground. Nicole Duma-Lorincz was walking to her car when she had a close call.

'I heard a crack and I didn't know what was going on so I just went running to the house,' she said, adding a large branch landed right behind her. 'It's a little scary.'

No injuries have been reported so far. Calgary snowfall warning ends

Environment Canada ended its snowfall warning for Calgary just after 1 p.m. MT.

Regions north, west and south of the city are still under warnings as a disturbance moves across the province.

Cardston, Fort Macleod, Magrath. Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek, Waterton. Kananaskis, Canmore. Okotoks, High River, Claresholm.

'The snowfall will begin tapering off from the north this morning, but will persist into the evening for the southernmost parts of the province,' the agency's website says.

An additional five centimetres of snow can be expected to fall in the areas under snowfall warnings this evening.

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