A fallen tree knocked out electricity for nearly 500 customers on Cortes Island amid heavy winds on Monday night, while choppy seas led to cancelled ferries, preventing workers from restoring power until late on Tuesday evening.
The blackout began just before midnight on Monday, and a maintenance crew was dispatched at around 5:30 a.m. the next day, said Ted Olynyk, a spokesperson for BC Hydro.
They arrived on Quadra Island in the morning, but were stuck there after BC Ferries cancelled multiple sailings to Cortes, he said. The crew finally arrived at about 4:30 p.m.
The number of customers affected was initially estimated at around 300 on BC Hydro’s website. But that number turned out to be 490, Olynyk said. The blackout continued until about 8 p.m.
The cancelled sailings came amid stormy seas on Tuesday, as Environment Canada warned of strong gales reaching 80 km/h.
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Cancelled sailings included a 9:00 a.m. trip from Quadra to Campbell River, a 9:30 departure from Campbell River, and three round trips on the Quadra-Cortes route between 7:50 a.m. and 1:05 p.m., said Deborah Marshall, executive director of public affairs for BC Ferries.
She said the ferry company and power utility were in contact during Tuesday’s storm, and that ferries give priority to BC Hydro vehicles.
“We actually gave them a call yesterday to let them know about the cancellations we were having on the Quadra-Cortes run, just so their trucks weren’t just sitting there,” Marshall said.
“We know how important it is to get those trucks over there, so we move them as quickly as we can,” she said, adding that BC Ferries doesn’t cancel sailings lightly.
A wind warning issued early on Tuesday morning said that potentially damaging southeasterly winds would hit most inner coastal regions.
Wind speeds of 75-88 km/h are considered strong gales that may cause slight structural damage, such as roofing shingles coming loose and blowing away, according to the Beaufort wind scale table.
Winds of that speed also cause high waves, with crests that “topple, tumble and roll over,” along with “dense streaks of foam along the direction of the wind,” and spray that may affect visibility, according to the Beaufort scale.
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