Hundreds left without power for days after intense storm hit B.C.'s Peace region
Vancouver -
More than a thousand people are still without power days after an intense lightning storm swept through B.C.'s Peace region and left a trail of destruction in its wake.
The lightning storm struck on Wednesday, downing trees and destroying major BC Hydro infrastructure. Some residents also reported tornado touchdowns in the region.
Clarence Apsassin of the Blueberry First Nation told CTV News he saw trees snapping in half during the weather event, which he described as "surreal" and "almost like a movie."
"I'm not scared of too many things, but this tornado and this lightning storm scared the living daylights out of us," Apsassin said.
BC Hydro said about 6,000 customers were left in the dark at the height of the outage. By Sunday morning, there were still about 1,050 outages listed on the utility provider's website.
Spokesperson Mora Scott said BC Hydro is hoping to have power restored to all remaining properties on Monday.
"We're doing everything we can to get them back up as quickly as we possibly can," Scott said. "We have called in all available crews from the neighbouring communities, we've also brought in crews from Prince George as well as the Lower Mainland to support with restoration efforts."
The destructive storm also left some Peace residents without access to water. The Peace River Regional District said anyone who needs lodging or food as a result of the outage or storm damage can call 250-784-3200 or 1-800-670-7773.
An emergency services reception centre is also being opened from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Pomeroy Sports Centre at 9324 96 St. in Fort St. John.
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