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Be prepared for storm season. Safety tips and videos

Operational update

BC Hydro restores power to 98 per cent of customers impacted by storm

BC Hydro crews have restored power to 98 per cent of the 330,000 customers impacted by the windstorm that began on Friday evening.

Crews have been working around-the-clock to restore power, replacing dozens of spans of power line as well power poles, transformers and cross-arms. 

Crews will continue to work throughout the day and BC Hydro expects to have all remaining customers restored today – with the possible exception of small pockets of customers in remote areas with significant damage or that have been difficult to access.

BC Hydro appreciates its customers’ patience and will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.

Power restored to more than 80 per cent of customers after windstorm hit the South Coast

Nov 5, 2022 (5 p.m.)

VANCOUVER: Power has been restored to about 275,000 customers after a windstorm impacted about 330,000 customers.

 As of 5 p.m., there are 55,000 customers without power. Regional breakdown is as follows:

  • Lower Mainland North (including the Sunshine Coast): 18,000 customers without power
  • Lower Mainland South: 26,000 customers without power
  • Vancouver Island (including the Gulf Islands): 9,000 customers without power

The wind knocked down trees and branches – many of them weakened by the summer’s drought – causing them to come into contact with BC Hydro’s electrical equipment. As a result, crews continue to be busy repairing damaged power lines, power poles and other equipment.

Clean up work will continue into the night. Because of the extensive damage, repair work will take some time and some customers will be without power overnight. Crews will continue to work around-the-clock until power is restored.

BC Hydro understands that outages are disruptive and thanks its customers for their patience as crews work to repair the damage and restore power.

As repair work continues, BC Hydro will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.

Power restored to more than 230,000 customers after windstorm hits the South Coast

Nov. 5, 2022 (11:30 a.m.)

VANCOUVER: Power has been restored to more than 230,000 customers after a windstorm impacted about 330,000 customers.

As of 11:30 a.m., there are less than 100,000 customers without power. Regional breakdown is as follows:

  • Lower Mainland North (including the Sunshine Coast): 29,000 customers without power
  • Lower Mainland South: 43,000 customers without power
  • Vancouver Island (including the Gulf Islands): 18,000 customers without power

The wind knocked down trees and branches – many of them weakened by the summer’s drought – causing them to come into contact with BC Hydro’s electrical equipment. As a result, more than 100 crews continue to be busy repairing damaged power lines, power poles and other equipment.

Clean up work is expected to continue throughout the day. Because of the extensive damage, repair work may take some time and will likely continue into tomorrow, especially for customers in more remote areas. However, all available crews are working as quickly as possible to get the largest number of customers restored as soon as they can.

Crews are receiving reports of downed power lines. A downed power line is an emergency. Call 911 and stay at least 10 metres back. BC Hydro crews will work with first responders to make the area safe

As repair work continues, BC Hydro will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.

Significant windstorm impacts hundreds of thousands of customers on the South Coast

Nov. 5, 2022 (6:30 a.m.)

VANCOUVER: Strong winds and heavy rain left about 330,000 customer without power on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland. Crews worked overnight and power has been restored to 185,000 customers.

As of 6:30 a.m., there are 145,000 customers without power. The hardest hit areas are Surrey, Abbotsford, Burnaby and Nanaimo. Regional breakdown is as follows:

  • Lower Mainland North (including the Sunshine Coast): 36,000 customers without power
  • Lower Mainland South: 80,000 customers without power
  • Vancouver Island (including the Gulf Islands): 28,000 customers without power

BC Hydro had been closely tracking the storm, and sent many crews home early in the day yesterday so they could rest and be available for overnight work. As a result, all available BC Hydro crews and contractor crews worked overnight to repair and restore customers impacted by the storm. One challenge the crews faced during the night was falling trees, which made it too dangerous for them to access some areas to begin repair work.  

The wind knocked down trees and branches – many of them weakened by the summer’s drought – causing them to come into contact with BC Hydro’s electrical equipment. As a result, crews continue to be busy repairing damaged power lines, power poles and other equipment.

Clean up work is expected to continue throughout the day. Because of the extensive damage, repair work may take some time and could continue into tomorrow, especially for customers in more remote areas. However, crews are working as quickly as possible to get the largest number of customers restored as soon as possible.

Crews are receiving reports of downed power lines. A downed power line is an emergency. Call 911 and stay at least 10 metres back. BC Hydro crews will work with first responders to make the area safe.

As repair work continues, BC Hydro will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.

Windstorm leaves nearly 200,000 without power on the South Coast 

Nov. 4, 2022 (10:30 p.m.)

VANCOUVER: Strong winds and heavy rain have left nearly 200,000 customers without power on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland. With the strong winds continuing, these numbers are expected to rise.

As of 10:30 p.m., the hardest hit areas are Surrey, Victoria, Nanaimo, Qualicum and Parksville. Regional breakdown is as follows:

  • Lower Mainland North (including the Sunshine Coast): 28,000 customers without power
  • Lower Mainland South: 88,000 customers without power
  • Vancouver Island (including the Gulf Islands): 78,000 customers without power

The wind knocked down trees and branches – many of them weakened by the summer’s drought – causing them to come into contact with BC Hydro’s electrical equipment. As a result, crews are busy repairing damaged power lines, power poles and other equipment.

BC Hydro has been tracking this series of storms, and all available BC Hydro crews and contractor crews are working to restore power. Crews will work throughout the night and into the day tomorrow until all customers are restored.

Crews are receiving reports of downed power lines. A downed power line is an emergency. Call 911 and stay at least 10 metres back. BC Hydro crews will work with first responders to make the area safe.

As repair work continues, BC Hydro will provide updated estimates for power restoration as they become available at bchydro.com/outages.