Strong winds hit Vancouver Island and the South Coast on Tuesday, leaving more than 53,000 BC Hydro customers without power.
The hardest hit areas include Courtenay, Surrey and Maple Ridge, but some Burnaby residents in the northwest section of the Heights neighbourhood are without power. Another power outage is in the 4000-block of Second Avenue in Burnaby.
Trees and branches brought down by the wind have caused extensive damage to the electrical system, said BC Hydro. The photo above is from the Burnaby Heights area.
“Additional damage and outages are expected until the wind subsides this afternoon,” said a news release. “All available BC Hydro crews and contractor crews will work throughout that day to repair damaged power lines, poles and transformers to restore the power.”
This is the second major storm event that has caused significant damage to BC Hydro’s system on the South Coast and Vancouver Island this fall. Last week, BC Hydro released a new report that found the severity and frequency of storms causing damage to BC Hydro’s electric system is increasing. In fact, there has been a 117% increase in these storms over the past several years.
Crews are receiving reports of downed power lines. A downed power line is considered an emergency situation and members of the public should stay at least 10 metres back and call 9-1-1 immediately. BC Hydro crews will work together with first responders to make the area safe.
For up-to-date outage information, including restoration times, visit bchydro.com/outages.
