A massive windstorm in British Columbia knocked out power to 400,000 customers Saturday, as trees toppled, police urged residents to stay inside and one of Vancouver's most popular attractions was shut down.
The storm made it dangerous for first responders as dozens of trees fell on cars, homes and even one pedestrian, according to Surrey RCMP.
Stanley Park was closed “for public safety” according to the Vancouver Park Board and people were urged to leave the park as soon as possible.
The downed trees forced the closure of several downtown Vancouver streets, as well as others in Surrey.
Power outages left 200,000 BC Hydro customers across Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and the Fraser Valley without power and the website was overloaded Saturday afternoon.
“We're currently experiencing issues with our website & online outage info,” the tweet from BC Hydro read. “Working to resolve ASAP and will post updates when available.”
Major summer events were also upset Saturday. The seventh annual Ride to Conquer Cancer, which raised $8.4 million, started as planned in B.C. in the morning but was called off according to the event's communications coordinator.
“Our riders safety is our number one concern, so the route has been closed for today,” the spokesperson wrote to CTV. “Riders are in high spirits and being brought into camp in Washington.”
The PNE announced that it would close due to safety concerns but after Environment Canada was expected to cancel the high winds warning, the closure was retracted an hour later.
West Vancouver Police Department sent out a Twitter message telling drivers to use caution.
“High winds causing false alarms, trees down, branches on roadway, traffic lights out,” the message read. “Please use 4-way stop procedures. Be safe.”
Emergency Communications B.C. was inundated with calls and asked people to only call 9-1-1 for emergency issues relating to health and safety, property in jeopardy, crimes in progress or if you see flames or smell smoke.
Stanley Park roadways were re-opened Saturday evening but thousands were still without power.
