Windstorm leaves thousands without power on Vancouver Island and the South Coast
November 18, 6 a.m. update
BC Hydro restores power to 93 per cent of customers impacted by Tuesday’s windstorm
BC Hydro crews made good progress yesterday and overnight, and have restored power to more than 121,000 customers since the windstorm began Tuesday morning. A total of 130,000 customers on Vancouver Island and the South Coast were impacted by yesterday’s storm.
About 9,000 customers primarily in Port Hardy, Port McNeill and Campbell River remain without power. The majority of these customers are without power due to a transmission outage in the northern region of Vancouver Island. BC Hydro plans to perform helicopter patrols at first light this morning to survey the damage to its transmission infrastructure from the air, and will then begin to make repairs.
BC Hydro appreciates its customers’ patience as repair work continues and will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.
November 17, 5 p.m. update
VANCOUVER: BC Hydro has safely restored power to 70 per cent of the nearly 118,000 customers impacted on Vancouver Island and the South Coast after today’s windstorm.
As of 4:30 p.m. today, about 36,000 customers remain without power, primarily in Courtenay, Port Hardy, Langley and Surrey.
BC Hydro understands that outages are disruptive and it thanks its customers for their patience as crews work to repair the damage and restore power. Due to the extensive damage, some customers are expected to be without power overnight.
As repair work continues we will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.
November 17, 11 a.m. update
VANCOUVER - Strong winds hit Vancouver Island and the South Coast on Tuesday, leaving 53,000 BC Hydro customers without power. The hardest hit areas include Courtenay, Surrey and Maple Ridge.
Trees and branches brought down by the wind have caused extensive damage to the electrical system. Additional damage and outages are expected until the wind subsides this afternoon. All available BC Hydro crews and contractor crews will work throughout that day to repair damaged power lines, poles and transformers to restore the power.
This is the second major storm event that has caused significant damage to BC Hydro’s system on the South Coast and Vancouver Island this fall. Last week, BC Hydro released a new report that found the severity and frequency of storms causing damage to BC Hydro’s electric system is increasing. In fact, there has been a 117 per cent increase in these storms over the past several years.
BC Hydro appreciates its customers’ patience as its crews work to repair the damage and restore power. It also asks that members of the public follow physical distancing guidelines and provide crews with the space they need to complete their work safely.
Crews are 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 9-1-1 immediately. BC Hydro crews will work together with first responders to make the area safe.
For up-to-date outage information, including restoration times, visit bchydro.com/outages.
Media contact
BC Hydro Media Relations
p. 604 928 6468