Thousands lost power following B.C. storm

Thousands of BC Hydro customers lost power following the storm that hit B.C. which at its peak, affected more than 93,000 customers.

The province’s service provider says it has restored power for 95 per cent of customers as of Wednesday evening, but “there are still small pockets” without power — mostly in rural areas on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

#BCStorm update: Crews worked throughout the night to make repairs and restore power following yesterday’s storm. Repair work will continue today until all customers are restored. Here’s the latest from our team: https://t.co/yHDLB14FKE pic.twitter.com/iAocow2YT7

— BC Hydro (@bchydro) November 30, 2022

Vancouver Island saw massive wind squalls and snow overnight, with some areas of its east coast reporting 25 centimetres of snow.

“Yesterday’s heavy snow and wind caused a number of outages across Vancouver Island. Conditions have made access difficult, and the weather cancelled ferries to the Gulf Islands,” BC Hydro said.

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BC Hydro says its crews have experienced delays in reaching areas because of poor road conditions, but all available crews are continuing to work until all power has been restored.

“Snow adds weight to trees and branches and can result in them breaking and coming into contact with electrical equipment. Crews are busy replacing power lines, power poles, and other electrical equipment,” it says.

“BC Hydro understands that outages are disruptive and appreciates customers’ patience as crews work to access trouble spots as quickly as possible.”