On Thursday, Jacqueline Orellana’s backyard was a disaster. Friday was a different story, and for good reason.
“So today we have the power,” Orellana says. “And we’re removing our tree. And everything we need, we have today.”
After spending almost an entire month running a home nursery with no electricity and little or no response from its owner, her energy problem is finally solved. Starting with fallen trees.
On Friday morning, Samaritan Purse volunteers showed up to clear the ruins of the backyard.
“We came here today to lend a hand,” says Phil Pavey, Samaritans Purse Tree Technical Advisor. “When we passed by, there were limbs down, a big limb here and a tip bent over the playing area here.”
After CTV News aired the Orellana story, the city of Ottawa has hired an electrician to repair the damaged power lines connected to the home.
“They called me today. And they basically want to cover the cost of fixing it,” says Wireman Electrical master and owner Brandyn Hewett.
Hewett is doing more than just reconnecting some loose wires.
“We’re actually going to move the meter outside according to the new code,” Hewett says. “And update the panel at the same time”.
It is also necessary to remove part of its tree to recover energy.
“So we’re overtaking just below the secondary line,” says David Risi of Asplundh. “I’ve heard this customer has been without electricity for 27 days, so it’s an urgent job, it’s an emergency job.”
All hands on deck to get Orellana’s life back to normal.
“It feels good,” Hewett says. “Like just starting my own business, this is a really nice thing to do for someone.”
Hewett is also fixing the hot water tank, which has been down for four months.