A respected community leader from Port Moody was killed Thursday after the powerful windstorm that swept across Metro Vancouver sent a massive tree crashing down onto her home.

The hemlock tree ripped through the roof of the Alpine Drive property around 6:30 a.m. and landed in the master bedroom, where 57-year-old Jill Calder is believed to have been sleeping.

She did not survive.

Calder worked for the last 16 years as executive director of the New View Society, a non-profit that provides employment opportunities to people with mental health issues.

The organization said she will be dearly missed by everyone who knew her.

“Jill will be remembered for being loyal, dedicated, fair, caring and extremely humble,” it said in a statement.

Victim services are being offered to Calder’s husband, who was downstairs in the home when the accident happened, and the couple’s adult children.

The City of Port Moody said any residents who are concerned about trees on city property in their neighbourhood can contact its operations division to arrange an inspection.

Massive storm

The storm wreaked havoc across the region, flipping a Cessna aircraft in Pitt Meadows, tearing the roof off a shed in Langley, and cutting power to 118,000 BC Hydro customers.

The winds, which reached 90 kilometres an hour, prompted a warning from Environment Canada for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Island, Central Coast and Howe Sound.

Trees were toppled, power lines were downed and debris was strewn onto roadways before the warning ended in the early afternoon.

In Abbotsford, another massive tree crashed into a residential home, but there haven’t been any reports of injuries.

Delta activated its Emergency Operations Centre after experiencing localized flooding in Boundary Bay, Beach Grove and downtown Ladner.

Crews helped residents with sandbags and pumps in affected areas. Staff was also dispatched to the seawall to assess if there was damage from the high tide, and also to inspect dikes and beach walls.

Several Surrey schools were also closed because of the storm.