Following a winter storm there are still 22,000 households without power on P.E.I. Wednesday morning, a third of the province, and schools in western P.E.I. are closed for a third day in a row.

A transformer explodes Tuesday along the Brackley Point Road, north of Charlottetown.
(Kevin Farnsworth)

Freezing rain has been the main problem. Ice-caked trees have brought down power lines, and the weight of ice on the lines themselves has snapped poles in some places. Icy roads have led to the closure of schools.

There is little hope of relief yet. More freezing drizzle is forecast for Wednesday, and high winds predicted for the afternoon could make the problem even worse. Maritime Electric officials say it could be as late as Friday before the electricity is restored to all its customers. Crews were out all day Wednesday assessing damage, but travel has been difficult.

"It has been slow going, having the snowmobiles out," said Maritime Electric spokeswoman Kim Griffin.

"We've been able to find some areas where we are up to about a hundred poles that are down right now."

The utility has lined up a helicopter to review damage, but the weather has kept it grounded.

West Prince is the worst hit part of the province, having had little relief from freezing rainfall since Monday. Power is out in most areas west of Summerside, affecting about 12,000 homes.

Throughout Tuesday night the utility was focusing on the Hunter River and New Annan areas. Success there would restore power to 10,000 customers.

Road conditions are slowly improving. In Queens County the main roads are reported to be clear, with a few icy spots. All secondary roads in the central part of the province are reported to be slippery.

Prince County's main roads are bare to centre bare. Secondary roads are still a problem, covered in a buildup of ice and snow that is making them both bumpy and slippery.

Roads in Kings County are mostly clear, with some icy spots.