BC Hydro crews continue working around the clock to restore power following a series of damaging storms that have affected approximately 490,000 customers across the province since Friday.
Crews have made significant progress in the Central Interior. Most of the main electrical lines in and around Prince George have been restored, and work is increasingly focused on smaller pockets of customers and locations with significant damage.
The latest storm has now arrived in the region, with strong winds expected to continue through late afternoon or early this evening. Crews are already seeing new outage reports coming in, and additional outages are expected as winds bring trees and branches down onto power lines.
Crews will continue restoration work as long as conditions are safe. If high winds, falling trees or branches make conditions unsafe, work may need to pause temporarily in some areas.
Restoration work continues around the clock
The earlier storms caused damage on a scale BC Hydro has not seen in region in many years, including broken power poles, downed lines and fallen trees that blocked access to damaged equipment.
Hundreds of spans of wire were damaged in the region and required replacement. Crews have also been replacing damaged poles and crossarms and rebuilding sections of the electrical system.
More than 180 workers are supporting the restoration effort, including crews and contractors who have travelled from the North Interior, South Interior and Lower Mainland to help. Additional specialized equipment and resources have also been brought into the region.
Work continues around the clock in and around Prince George. The majority of customers who remain without power following the earlier storms are expected to be restored later today, with crews continuing to work through the more complex repairs. As work wraps up in Vanderhoof, crews will begin moving to Prince George today to provide additional support.
Damage to electrical equipment at some homes
As crews reach the remaining outages, they are also finding that in some cases the storm has damaged electrical equipment on customers’ properties, such as meter bases or the service mast where BC Hydro wires connect to the home.
BC Hydro knows how frustrating this is, especially for customers who have already been without power for a long time.
This equipment belongs to the homeowner, so it must be repaired by a licensed electrician before BC Hydro can safely reconnect power.
If you see damage to this equipment, call BC Hydro at 1-800-BCHYDRO as soon as possible. Crews will disconnect your home from our system so a licensed electrician can safely make the repairs.
Once the repairs are complete, your electrician will let BC Hydro know it is safe to reconnect your power, and we’ll prioritize getting you back on.
Please stay away from downed power lines
With strong winds continuing today, there is an increased possibility of trees and branches coming down and damaging power lines.
There have also been reports of people attempting to move downed power lines and of vehicles driving over lines on the ground. Please stay away and do not attempt to move or drive over a downed power line.
Always assume a downed power line is live and dangerous. Stay at least 10 metres back, approximately the length of a city bus, and call 911 to report it. Do not touch or attempt to move a line, drive over a downed line or drive underneath low-hanging wires.
Be prepared for additional outages
Strong winds are expected to continue through late afternoon or early this evening, and additional outages are expected. Customers should be prepared by keeping their 72-hour emergency kits stocked and mobile devices charged.
Customers can get the latest information on outages and estimated restoration times through the new BC Hydro mobile app or at bchydro.com/outages.
Crews will continue working through the remaining outages while responding to any new damage caused by today’s weather. We appreciate the continued patience and support of customers and communities across the region as this restoration effort continues.