PowerStream to assess communications in storm’s aftermath

Markham Economist & Sun

Last weeks ice storm not only wreaked havoc for residents, who remained without power for days, but also proved challenging for PowerStream.

At the storms peak, when about 92,000 PowerStream customers were without power, the electrical distribution companys website crashed.

The website was built to accommodate general day-to-day operations, as well as severe storm events, affecting about 5,000 customers.

It was not built to accommodate some 92,000 hits simultaneously, company spokesperson John Olthuis said.

There was so much data pouring into the companys online system, from smart meters and phone calls, the server overloaded.

There was just so many hits simultaneously, the system couldnt handle it, Mr. Olthuis said. Thats how hackers attack websites by overwhelming it until it crashes.

After contacting their server supplier, PowerStream upped its data pipe on a permanent basis four-fold or 400 per cent. The site took several days to turn back on, Mr. Olthuis added.

Between Dec. 20 and 29, the company experienced more than 7 million hits, 5 million of which came during the peak of restoration work between Dec. 21 and 24.

The company, which provides power to customers in southern York Region, tracked more than 170,000 unique visitors and 952,000 page views during the same time period.

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PowerStream to assess communications in storm's aftermath