FortisBC announced in a Sept. 11 press release that all of their customers who were experiencing power outages as a result of a windstorm that swept through the Creston Valley four days prior have had their power restored.
“I’m pleased to report that as of midnight last night, all of our customers were restored,” said Nicole Brown, FortisBC’s corporate communications advisor. “The additional BC Hydro crews and our Okanagan crews have now returned home.”
A day prior to Sept. 11’s announcement, Brown said that “pockets of outages” still remained throughout Creston and areas along the eastern shore of Kootenay Lake.
Anyone still without power is asked to contact FortisBC.
READ MORE: Pockets of outages remain in Creston, areas along Kootenay Lake
“We know extended outages can have a significant impact on our customers’ lives and on behalf of the crews, wish to extend gratitude for the patience and support they received from customers who were affected by this incident,” she said.
She reminded those residents who have had their property’s electrical or natural gas system damaged by downed trees or other debris to call a qualified electrician or registered gas contractor before servicing any equipment.
“As a side note, our crews are seeing a number of compromised trees in the backcountry, and so people may want to take extra precautions and stay safe if they are accessing those areas,” she said.
In a Sept. 9 press release, Brown said that about 6,000 customers in the Kootenay area lost power due to trees damaging four transmission lines and many smaller lines that provide service to the area.
“Trees weakened by the initial windstorm may continue to fall on our lines over the coming days. As a result, we encourage customers to be prepared for intermittent outages,” said Brown.
In the waking hours of Sept. 7, the Creston Valley was hit with a windstorm that saw gusts of wind reach maximum speeds of 75 km/h, according to Environment Canada.
READ MORE: Creston Fire Rescue responds to more than 25 calls due to windstorm
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