Here is the status of power outages on PEI. Monday morning

If your data or internet is limited, click here for the CBC Lite version of the PEI site.

Power is out for the vast majority of Prince Edward Island households Monday morning, 48 hours after Hurricane Fiona hit the province on Saturday.

Fiona hit Prince Edward Island in the early hours of Saturday morning, with heavy rain and winds of over 170 km/h. Significant property damage was reported, but no serious injuries were reported.

As of Monday morning, more than 80,000 customers of Maritime Electric, the utility for most of the island, were still without power. Power was restored to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown on Sunday.

Maritime Electric spokeswoman Kim Griffin told Island Morning that about 2,000 customers had power restored by Sunday, but she could not give an estimate for the rest.

« We just don’t know, » Griffin said.

« We’re making progress. Two thousand customers doesn’t seem like a lot for a restoration, but if you asked me 24 hours ago, the teams didn’t even think they could do that. »

Summerside Electric, which serves PEI’s second-largest city, had restored power to downtown, eastern sections and large northern parts of the city by Sunday evening.

In a Facebook post, the city said nine of 11 distribution channels had been repaired. As of Sunday evening, work should be completed on those soon, but fixing localized issues could take days, the city said.

Soldiers to help clean up

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces have arrived on Prince Edward Island to assist with cleanup efforts, as the majority of the islanders are still without power.

Premier Dennis King announced Sunday afternoon that 100 military personnel were to arrive that evening and begin assisting provincial crews by Monday morning after a request for assistance sent out Saturday was approved by the federal government.

King said the government would be working on an urgent financial relief package to help individuals and industries, and that the federal government was committed to developing a plan with the necessary finances to rebuild the docks « as quickly as possible ». .

In a statement Monday morning, the province again urged Islanders not to venture out except in an emergency.

« Stay home or nearby as much as you can, » the statement read. « The best way to help crews and first responders is to stay off the roads as much as possible. »

The province was scheduled to hold another briefing on Monday.

Internet and cell service

Cellular service and Internet access remained intermittent on Sunday.

A Bell Aliant spokesperson told CBC News that the majority of the company’s wireless sites in Prince Edward Island run either on battery backup or generators.

Eastlink officials said downed trees, poles and lines created challenges for crews.

And Rogers said in a statement that teams are coming from Ontario and Quebec to help.

Schools closed, hospitals dependent on generators

Schools on the island will remain closed until at least Tuesday, with a further announcement scheduled for that day.

King said at least six schools suffered extensive damage and the Department of Education was reviewing contingency plans.

Health PEI confirmed on Sunday afternoon that power had been restored to Prince County Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The rest was open, but ran on generators.

Power was also restored to the Irving Oil terminal in Charlottetown, which the premier said would allow gas distribution across the island.