Several thousand Vancouver Island residents are still without power following a windstorm that hit B.C.’s southern coast on Sunday.
Strong winds left tens of thousands of BC Hydro customers without power across not only Vancouver Island, but the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast as well.
BC Hydro crews have been working to restore power to residents through the night, but still have just over 2,000 customers without power on North Vancouver Island and nearly 3,000 customers without power on South Vancouver Island.
All available BC Hydro crews and contractor crews are working to restore power, according to the power provider. BC Hydro adds that it is expecting to have power restored to all customers by Monday.
“Crews made great progress overnight restoring power from the wind storm on Sunday. Work will continue and we expect to have remaining customers without power on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands restored today. Thanks for your patience and we will continue to provide updates as they are available,” reads a statement from BC Hydro.
Crews have restored power to more than 97% of customers impacted by the #BCStorm that hit the #LowerMainland, #SunshineCoast and #VancouverIsland on Sunday. Latest operational update: https://t.co/Qgkd8zVXai pic.twitter.com/Rh5ri0inVv
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) March 29, 2021
The biggest outages are affecting people in Campbell River, Nanaimo, Colwood and Langford.
The hardest-hit areas during yesterday’s storm included Courtenay and Duncan.
The wind knocked down trees and branches causing them to come into contact with BC Hydro’s electrical equipment. As a result, crews are busy repairing damaged power lines, power poles and transformers.
“BC Hydro understands that outages are disruptive and thanks its customers for their patience as crews work to repair the damage and restore power. It also asks that members of the public follow physical distancing guidelines and provide crews with the space they need to complete their work safely,” adds the power provider.
The company also reminds B.C. residents that a downed power line is considered an emergency. If anyone spots a downed power line, BC Hydro says to call 911 and stay at least 10 metres away.
As repair work continues, the company will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.
Graham Cox
