Strong winds sweeping across the Lower Mainland have left thousands of BC Hydro customers in Langley without power on Wednesday morning, where there are currently 22 active outages.
Some of those outages are reported at Langley schools.
As a result the Langley School District has announced closures at Langley Fundamental Middle and Secondary, Betty Gilbert Middle. Shortreed Elementary, Parkside Centennial Elementary, Coghlan Fundamental Elementary, North Otter Elementary for the day.
The district advises the community to continuing monitoring their website for updates.
Meanwhile, all BC Hydro crews are on deck working to restore the outages.
“As the storm is moving its way across the province, its causing extensive damage to BC Hydro’s electrical system due to branches and trees breaking contacting its equipment. More outages are expected as a result of the wind,” the corporation said.
Many of the current outages in Langley were first recorded overnight starting around 1 a.m. with the latest recorded around 7 a.m.
Traffic impact: Possible wind debris, January 13. Find information on how to request maintenance and what to do if you encounter debris: https://t.co/DA0s7ObUTN
— Township of Langley (@LangleyTownship) January 13, 2021
Township fire crews responded to 38 calls between 11:00 p.m. and 8 a.m., according to Dale Steeple assistant fire chief.
“Most were wires down; no major incidents,” he said.
Similarly, Scotty Kennedy, acting fire chief with Langley City, said there were no major incidents reported.
“Crews attended a half a dozen calls for service inside of an hour, just after midnight at the height of the wind storm,” he recounted.
All available crews are working to restore power to customers affected by #BCStorm. Find outage updates and the latest crews status on our mobile site: https://t.co/WFPFZF9XUd Watch this video to learn more and understand what our crew status means. pic.twitter.com/rtVpOsyn5F
— BC Hydro (@bchydro) January 13, 2021
Walnut Grove, Fort Langley, Glen Valley and Aldergrove areas are some of the hardest hit by the power outages.
BC Hydro said they are receiving reports of downed power lines as a result of the windstorm and is reminding the public to keep their distance.
“A downed power line is considered an emergency situation and members of the public should stay at least 10 metres back and call 911 immediately,” they said.
READ MORE: Heavy winds leave over 44,000 in Lower Mainland without power, 100,000 across B.C.
There are currently more than 36,000 customers across the Lower Mainland without power.
For updates on current outages visit www.bchydro.com/safety-outages/power-outages/outage_map.html.
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