BC Hydro outages affect thousands of Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast customers

Freezing rain and wintery weather across B.C.’s South Coast is causing power outages for thousands of BC Hydro customers Friday morning.

More than 11,000 customers were without power before 7:30 a.m., with more than 5,000 on Vancouver Island also in darkness.

The province’s electricity provider warned customers of possible outages due to deteriorating weather conditions this week, which saw daily total snowfall records tumble in a handful of Lower Mainland areas.

Spokesperson Susie Rieder told CityNews Thursday that crews have been preparing for the possibility of outages.

The utility has stepped up its vegetation management program in recent years to identify trees and vegetation that may pose a risk during storms, to deal with them proactively, Rieder said.

“We do recommend that, if you do have trees or branches that are near a major electrical line … you can contact us and we can provide you with the contact for a certified arborist that can come in and work near those lines and help trim trees.

“Also, if you’re trying to trim your trees yourself from that small line in your yard that connects from your house, make sure you stay three metres back — yourself and all tools.”

Rieder says even though BC Hydro crews are doing everything they can to mitigate outages, they can still happen. Therefore, it’s a good idea to have a 72-hour emergency kit ready just in case.

Kits should include things like water, non-perishable food, medication, pet food, and items like external phone chargers and flashlights.