Power outages are scattered across the schedule for the next couple of weeks in the Peace. The first is planned for this Saturday in Fort St John.
It is scheduled for this Saturday, Nov. 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is the result of “planned work” on BC Hydro equipment, according to the electricity provider. 1,148 customers will be affected by Saturday’s outage, and impacted customers should have been contacted by the company.
Additional outages are planned to start ten days later. On Dec. 9, fewer than five people will be impacted as work begins in rural areas surrounding the city. The following day, a pole replacement near Charlie Lake will impact 42 customers, and then, 58 customers around the North Peace Light Horse Association on Equestrian Road will lose power in the morning hours of Dec. 11.
BC Hydro also said it has work scheduled for next week in Taylor, and 32 customers will be out of power from 8:30 until noon on Thursday, Dec. 4 for a pole replacement.
People who will be impacted by any of these outages were contacted by the utility company, it said. Those with online My Hydro accounts should have received an automatic phone message or email, and snail mail was sent to those without one.
Ahead of the outage, certain steps should be taken to keep electronics safe. Large appliances, for example a fridge, should be unplugged for the duration of the outage. Similarly, sensitive electronics, including computers, wifi routers, and televisions, should be removed from their power source.
Customers should charge devices ahead of time, and those who rely on electric heaters – such as baseboard heaters and some space heaters, should prepare to stay warm. Having a non-electric space heater and blankets, can help people stay warm, according to the government of Canada.
The government’s preparation guide also reminded residents to not use fuel burning equipment indoors and ensure they have batteries in their carbon monoxide detector before the outage.
