Wind storm: B.C. Hydro continues work to restore power | B.C. Ferries resumes service

B.C. Hydro crews were kept busy on Sunday after a storm cut power for thousands of households across Metro Vancouver overnight.

At its peak, 135,000 customers had lost power around 1 a.m. on Sunday in the second of a series of storms expected to hit B.C.’s south coast this week.

As of 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, that number has dropped to approximately 30,000 as crews continue restoration efforts.

Surrey, Duncan, Port Hardy and Prince George were among the hardest-hit areas, due to trees and branches that had brought down power lines, power poles and other B.C. Hydro equipment.

“We prepared for this storm and had crews and resources ready to respond immediately,” said spokesperson Whitney Deane.

“Our crews are making good progress, but with strong winds continuing this morning, we expect to see additional damage and outages before conditions improve.”

Since the series of storms began on Friday, there have been more than 380,000 outages recorded; 317,000 of those have been repaired.

A wind warning remained in effect on Sunday morning for Metro Vancouver, with southwesterly winds of up to 90 kilometres expected on Sunday morning, which will gradually ease later in the day.

Drivers travelling on the Coquihalla Highway today between Hope and Kamloops are also warned to be wary of high winds that could impact high-sided vehicles or vehicles with objects on roof racks.

B.C. Ferries services between Vancouver and Victoria have resumed.

More to come …

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