300,000 BC Hydro customers without power as wind whips coast

Dec 21 2018, 6:07 am

With wind gusts of up to 100 km/h expected to hit the BC coastline Thursday, BC Hydro is reporting that hundreds of thousands of customers are already without power because of high winds.

BC Hydro said as of 2 pm, power was knocked out to 300,000 customers across the province, with outages reported in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley as well as Vancouver Island.

The hardest hit areas are Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford.

The company says there is extensive damage from branches and trees breaking and hitting electrical equipment and power lines.

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“Continued strong winds have made damage assessment and repairs difficult, but where safe, crews are busy repairing damaged power lines, poles and transformers. All available resources will work throughout the day and into the evening to safely restore power,” it said in a statement.

Compounding the issue is reports of downed power lines. BC Hydro says people should stay at least 10 metres away from downed lines and call 911 immediately if they see one.

The service is pleading for the public to be patient as its crews work to restore power.

It says people in the region should be ready for outages throughout the day.

Click here to see a full list of BC Hydro power outages by region.

Darcy MathesonDarcy Matheson

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