B.C. wind storm: Power restored to most customers in time for next round of wild weather

Power has been restored to about 99 per cent of B.C. Hydro customers after a wild weekend of windy weather.

According to a Monday morning update from B.C. Hydro, just 6,000 customers remained without power after crews spent the weekend working around the clock to repair damage to power lines and power poles across the region.

Over the course of the weekend, a total of 415,000 customers lost power at some point during the storm system; at its peak around 1 a.m. on Sunday, a total of 135,000 customers were simultaneously without power.

“Crews have made significant progress despite widespread damage, difficult access and complex repairs in some of the hardest-hit areas,” read a statement issued by B.C. Hydro.

Of the 6,000 customers still waiting for the power to come back on, most are in the Prince George area, where 200 spans of wire have been downed, power poles broken and electrical equipment damaged.

“We’ve now restored power to 99 per cent of customers impacted by these storms, but our job isn’t finished until every customer is back on,” said spokesperson Whitney Deane.

“Our crews have been working around the clock since Friday through some very challenging conditions. We know it has been a long few days for customers who are still without power, and we appreciate their patience as our crews work through these final, complex repairs.”

Deane said additional crews, contractors and specialized equipment have been brought in to assist in the central interior.

The latest the remaining B.C. Hydro customers can expect their power to return is late Tuesday evening.

While B.C. Hydro is close to restoring power for the remaining customers cut off during the weekend’s windy weather, another “strong and potent” series of storms is expected to start on Tuesday and lasting through Thursday.

The storms will bring a “prolonged period of heavy rainfall” with significant rainfall accumulations expected, particularly in areas at higher elevation.

“This rainfall event comes on the heels of several low pressure systems that have moved through the region in recent days, already bringing substantial amounts of precipitation to parts of the coast,” read the special weather statement updated by Environment Canada on Monday morning.

Strong winds are also expected in some areas and residents in areas prone to water pooling or that have already received significant rainfall are advised to watch for possible flooding.

More to come …

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