The heavy snowfall blanketing B.C.’s South Coast has led to a steady stream of power outages on Vancouver Island and thousands of residents in the northern region continue to be in the dark.
As of 11:30 a.m. Friday, more than 5,000 Vancouver Islanders remain without electricity, many because of the recent heavy snow, according to BC Hydro.
BC Hydro says that 3,107 customers are still without power, largely in part due to snowy conditions.
The areas most affected are Campbell River and Sayward, as well as the continued outages in Tahsis and Zeballos.
In Campbell River, BC Hydro says that over 1,500 customers are currently being affected by outages with crews are on-site, working on the affected equipment.
There are also large outages affecting hundreds of customers on Quadra Island, Texada Island, Cortes Island and the Sunshine Coast.
We’re aware of an outage affecting 900 customers on #TexadaIsland. Visit our mobile site for updates: https://t.co/O0awJXccfK pic.twitter.com/cXjPN1WXVU
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) January 7, 2022
The snow-caused outages are in addition to “extensive damage” on an already downed line serving customers in the remote communities of Tahsis and Zeballos.
Customers in those areas have been without power for days due to previous heavy snowfall.
An update provided by BC Hydro on Friday morning suggests that the snow that fell overnight on Wednesday created complications and stalled efforts to restore power.
“Crews were able to complete an aerial damage assessment on Wednesday and began work on repairs, but additional heavy snowfall overnight has limited our ability to safely access damaged areas,” reads a statement from BC Hydro.
“Based on current weather forecasts, work can continue over the next couple of days, and once complete we will start the process to reenergize the line. There may be additional vegetation across the line that needs to be removed before power is fully restored.”
On the South Island, there are a few minor outages, which are under investigation, affecting less than 100 people in total.
Graham Cox
