B.C. Hydro is working to restore power to thousands of homes after a storm lashed the coast last night (May 17).
Outages are clustered on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast, impacting some 20,000 customers.
The winter-like storm brought strong winds, rain and even snow to parts of the province. Environment Canada wind warnings remain in place for Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, the Gulf Islands and the Fraser Canyon. Meanwhile, special weather statements are in place calling for heavy rain for much of B.C.’s South Coast and up to 10cm of snow on mountain highway passes.
”Crews are already responding to a few outages and we’re expecting the heavy winds to continue in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast through the day,” B.C. Hydro said in a Tweet.
Timelines for the restoration of power will vary across regions. B.C. Hydro advises anyone who sees downed power lines to stay at least 10 metres away and report them to 911. All homes should keep an emergency kit with necessary supplies to last at least 72 hours in the event of an outage.
Updates on outages will be provided through B.C. Hydro’s website.
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