Flooding in Northeast B.C. keeps BC Hydro crews busy
VANCOUVER – Flooding, heavy rain and strong winds have left thousands of BC Hydro customers in Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Chetwynd without power. Crews worked throughout the night and will continue to work throughout the day. As of 11:30 a.m., there are approximately 3,500 customers without power.
BC Hydro lost two distribution feeders in Dawson Creek at 7 a.m. causing outages for 3,330 customers. Flooding is expected to have damaged several structures, including at least six distribution poles. Floodwaters in the immediate vicinity of the damaged power poles will delay efforts. At this time, BC Hydro has not been able to access some areas with damaged equipment because many roads in the area are closed or impassible. Low clouds are also hindering efforts to use helicopters to assess the damage from the air.
There are currently 130 customers without power in Chetwynd due to flooding. Crews were unable to access the area overnight due to washed out roads.
Crews in Fort St. John worked throughout the evening to restore customers and have made good progress. The majority of customers are expected to have their power restored this afternoon. Once the work is complete in Fort St. John, those crews will travel to Dawson Creek to assist with restoration efforts there. Additional staff will be flown from the Lower Mainland today, and crews and equipment are also being mobilized from the Southern Interior.
Crews will continue to work throughout the day. BC Hydro will provide updated estimates for restoration times as crews from the field report back on the type of damage encountered and work required to restore power.
Contact:
BC Hydro Media Relations
p. 604 928 6468