The city of Peterborough is the latest municipality to declare a state of emergency following the weekend's devastating storm that caused extensive damage, leaving over 150,000 customers in Ontario without power.

On Wednesday, Mayor Diane Therrien confirmed that the city had declared a state of emergency as Hydro One officials continue working to restore electricity to thousands of residents.

City officials said in a press release: "The storm has caused severe stress on public works, forestry, and waste collection services in the city of Peterborough." "Work crews are doing their utmost to address storm damages and respond to the increased volume of requests."

City officials continued: "City crews are prioritizing service requests related to fallen trees along streets and sidewalks." "Given the extent of the damage, there is a significant backlog of work. Residents are asked to refrain from calling multiple times to report damages. Requests are logged and prioritized."

Hydro One says that due to the severity of the damage, restoration efforts are expected to continue for several days before power is restored to all customers. More than 98,000 Hydro One customers remain without power.

Meanwhile, the energy company states on its website: "The damage includes downed power lines, over 1,600 broken poles, countless fallen trees and large branches on power lines, as well as damage to five transmission towers in the Ottawa and Peterborough areas."

At least ten people died, and three cities declared a state of emergency after the storm that toppled trees, downed power lines, and damaged property.

In the Durham area, three schools remained closed due to the storm’s impact, while five other schools reopened today after power was restored.

Editor: Dima Abu Khair