BC Hydro making progress restoring power following major snowstorm
Updated Jan. 5 (3 p.m.)
BC Hydro has restored all customers in the Southern Interior impacted by the New Year’s Eve snowstorm.
The last community (Johnsons Landing) was restored at 2:10 p.m. today.
The repairs required to restore power in the area were extensive. Damage included several broken poles and 14 spans of power line that were brought down by fallen trees. Crews also faced access challenges due to heavy snow.
Updated Jan. 5 (10:30 a.m.)
Crews made significant progress yesterday and overnight restoring power to the majority of remaining customers in the Southern Interior affected by the New Year’s Eve snowstorm.
All but 35 customers in the Johnsons Landing area of Lardeau Valley have been restored.
Crews are continuing to work to repair damage and anticipate to have all customers restored this afternoon.
Updated Jan. 4 (5 p.m.)
Since noon today, BC Hydro has restored over half of remaining customers in the Southern Interior following a major snowstorm on New Year’s Eve.
Over 60crews have been working around-the-clock in the region to repair extensive damage and restore power. Currently, there are approximately 680 customers without power – down from 1,100 at noon today.
BC Hydro anticipates to have an additional 560 customers restored by end of day today. However, poor road conditions, access issues and extensive damage continue to be a challenge. Around 40 customers in the hardest hit area are expected to be out until end of day Sunday.
BC Hydro appreciates its customers’ continued patience as repair work continues and will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.
Updated Jan. 4 (12 p.m.)
BC Hydro continues to make progress in restoring power for customers in the Southern Interior.
BC Hydro has over 60 crews working in the region to repair damage and restore power following a major snowstorm on New Year’s Eve.
Of the 160,000 customers initially impacted by the storm, approximately 1,100 remain without power, largely in rural areas near Salmon Arm, Vernon and Nakusp. Additional snow accumulation on Friday evening caused more damage to BC Hydro’s system and additional outages for customers in the region.
Repair work is continuing around the clock. Additional resources are being brought in to assist and BC Hydro anticipates to have the majority of customers restored by end of day. However, due to poor road conditions and the extensive repair work that remains in difficult-to-access areas, customers in the hardest hit communities are being advised to prepare to potentially be without power through the weekend.
BC Hydro appreciates its customers’ continued patience as repair work continues and will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.
Updated Jan. 2, 2020 (6 a.m.)
BC Hydro has restored more than 93 per cent of customers impacted by a snowstorm that hit the Interior early Tuesday, as it prepares for the next storm.
BC Hydro crews have been working around the clock to repair damage from a major snowstorm that caused more than 160,000 customers in the Central and Southern Interior to lose power. Despite poor weather and treacherous road conditions creating challenges for crews, more than 60 per cent of customers were restored within the first 24 hours, and 90 per cent in 48 hours.
As of 5:30 a.m. today, approximately 11,200 remain without power, largely in rural and hard-to-access areas near Salmon Arm, Vernon, Nakusp and Kamloops. Crews will continue to work throughout the day on remaining repairs to restore power.
BC Hydro is preparing for possible damage from a windstorm that is forecast to hit the South Coast and Vancouver Island today and tomorrow, and is encouraging customers in these areas to prepare for potential power outages.
The latest outage information, including estimates for power restoration are available at bchydro.com/outages.
Jan. 1, 2020 (5 p.m.)
BC Hydro has safely restored power to more than 100,000 customers in the Central and Southern Interior after a major snowstorm caused damage to its system. Currently around 20,000 customers remain without power.
As of 4:30 p.m. today the hardest hit areas include outlying areas surrounding:
- Salmon Arm: around 9,000 customers without power
- Nakusp: around 3,000 customers without power
- Vernon: around 2,000 customers without power
- Kamloops: around 1,000 customers without power
- 100 Mile House: around 1,000 customers without power
Heavy snow and poor road conditions are creating challenges for BC Hydro crews that are working hard repairing over 130 spans of wire and damage to poles, cross-arms and transformers. All available resources will work throughout the afternoon and into the evening to safely restore power. Crews have been brought in from other parts of the province to assist and many crews have been called back from vacation to help with restoration.
BC Hydro understands that outages are disruptive, especially during the holiday season, when many British Columbians are at home with their families, and it thanks its customers for their patience.
As repair work continues we will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.
BC Hydro crews working to restore power following Interior snowstorm
Dec. 31, 2019 (1 p.m.)
A snowstorm in the Southern Interior has caused damage to BC Hydro infrastructure, leading to power outages for customers.
The heavy snow has caused branches and trees to fall onto power lines. At the peak of the storm this morning around 30,000 customers were without power. BC Hydro has already restored power to around 10,000 customers. The hardest hit areas include Clearwater, Quesnel and rural areas just outside of Kamloops, Vernon and Salmon Arm.
All BC Hydro crews and available contractor crews in the region have been called to work to repair damaged equipment, including power lines, power poles and transformers. However, poor road conditions in rural areas are causing some delays in response.
BC Hydro advises that customers keep driveways plowed to allow better access for crews to restore service to rural properties. Crews will continue to work throughout the day and night to safely restore power.
Due to the extent of damage in some areas, customers in the hardest hits areas should prepare to be without power overnight.
BC Hydro is receiving reports of downed power lines. 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.
BC Hydro appreciates its customers’ continued patience as it works through repairs. Updated estimates for power restoration are posted as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.