B.C. storm leaves thousands in the dark; most power restored

Vancouver -

Thousands of British Columbians are still without power due to the massive storm that swept through the southern part of the province over the past few days.

In an update Tuesday morning, BC Hydro said at the storm's peak Monday afternoon, there were about 126,000 customers without power. In some places, like Hope, entire communities faced outages.

"As our crews dealt with the aftermath of the 'atmospheric river' that impacted southern B.C., our infrastructure in Hope was significantly damaged by a mudslide, knocking out power to the community," BC Hydro's Kevin Aquino told CTV News Vancouver in an emailed statement.

Power was restored to about 56,000 customers overnight, and while about 20,200 people were still in the dark Tuesday morning, most had their power back by late afternoon.

About 2,230 were still seeing outages in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island as of 5:30 p.m., and 2,800 customers in the Interior.

"We haven’t had a chance to assess the damage due to access issues as a result of the torrential rain and mudslide. We will likely use aerial surveillance to assess the damage and determine next steps," Aquino said earlier in the day.

At the time, BC Hydro said in a notice on its website that crews are working to clean large areas of downed lines in some Interior communities. Updated restoration times will be posted on the utility's website, when available. 

For those whose power hadn't been restored by the afternoon, the message still applied.

Aquino urged customers to be prepared with emergency kits in case of future storms. Those kits should include a flashlight, batteries, first aid kit, water and non-perishable food.

As well, British Columbians should exercise extreme caution if they come across a downed line.

"Always assume it’s live – even if it’s not sparking, smoking or making a buzzing sound," Aquino said.

"We urge everyone to stay at least 10 metres back (about the length of a bus) and call 911. A downed line is considered an emergency and our crews will work with emergency responders to ensure the area is safe."