BC Hydro in an update at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday said its crews are making good progress restoring power to customers impacted by today’s windstorm. About 170,000 customers have had their service restored – or about 60 per cent of the more than 280,000 impacted customers in the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
Winds are now easing in most communities and restoration work will continue into the night and through the day tomorrow.
As of 5:15 p.m., the vast majority of the 110,000 customers without power are in the Lower Mainland and on the Sunshine Coast. The hardest hit areas are currently:
- Surrey with 57,000 customers without power
- Burnaby with 13,000 customers without power
- Port Coquitlam with 7,000 customers without power
More than 250 BC Hydro crews and contractor crews have been working throughout the day, and additional resources have been brought in from unaffected regions to provide additional support. While crews have made good progress replacing power lines, poles and other electrical equipment damaged by vegetation, they have encountered challenges in some areas that have slowed progress. These include access challenges due to the heavy debris on some roads and limited ferry service in some areas, and sustained strong winds in some areas that are making it too dangerous for crews to begin work.
There are several reports of downed power lines. A downed power line is an emergency. Call 911 and stay at least 10 metres back. BC Hydro crews will work with first responders to make the area safe.
Due to the extensive damage, there will be some customers without power overnight. All available crews will work into the night and throughout the day tomorrow to restore power and repair damaged infrastructure.
As repair work continues, BC Hydro will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.
