Midhurst/April 2, 2025 – Today, April 2, 2025, County of Simcoe Warden Basil Clarke declared an emergency as a result of the impacts of the recent ice storm affecting our region. Declaring an emergency assists the County and municipalities in accessing additional resources to support our residents and communities with the goal of assisting hydro in clearing critical transportation routes. The County also activated its Emergency Operations Centre to support enhanced flow of information with partners.
This regional State of Emergency has been declared due to impacts on many of the communities we serve including:
- Prolonged power outages affecting municipalities and residents in the County from the recent ice storm
- Ongoing impacts to critical transportation infrastructure affecting emergency response due to downed power lines
- Continued disruption to water supply
- Continued disruption of telecommunications infrastructure
- Anticipation of upcoming severe weather events that can exacerbate the points listed above
- Long-term clean-up of brush and debris
During this State of Emergency, the Emergency Authority is the County of Simcoe’s Emergency Management department.
“Declaring a State of Emergency was not a decision that we chose lightly at the County, but it was something that had to be done as we face prolonged impacts in some communities,” said Warden Basil Clarke. “We are in contact with the province and our area MPPs to further request that additional Hydro One resources and arborist services are quickly deployed to our region to support with power, access for emergency services, and communication needs. We are also identifying strategies to support with long-term clearing of debris and brush, which may take weeks or months to accomplish. We’re doing everything we can to support our residents and communities, and we ask those impacted to remain patient and safe during this difficult time.”
For updates on this emergency follow these channels: County of Simcoe website at simcoe.ca, @simcoecounty on Twitter, @CountyofSimcoe on Facebook, in addition to local radio stations and media websites. Residents can also find information on social, health and government services at 211.
Regional supports and updates are being posted on www.simcoe.ca/icestorm
