Many residents in northern B.C., including about 45,000 in the Peace region, went without power this weekend after forecasted strong winds knocking over power lines.
Outages spanned much of northern B.C. this weekend, with customers in Kitimat, Smithers and Vanderhoof also reporting power losses to BC Hydro. The utility restored much of the power Sunday, though some sections of the region had to wait until Monday after winds reached as high as 81 km/h in Dawson Creek.
“On Sunday, extra crews from the Lower Mainland and southern Interior arrived in northern B.C. to assist in the power restoration effort. We also activated several of our contractor crews who operate in the northwest and in the Peace region,” said Bob Gammer, the northern community relations manager for BC Hydro.
“There were about 45,000 Peace region customers without power when the transmission system tripped offline at about midnight Saturday after high winds damaged some equipment,” he continued.
Most communities saw power restored within 24 hours of the outage beginning Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“In most locations, the wind forced trees or branches to contact power lines. Our crews responded to many reports of wires down on the ground,” explained Gammer.
This “vigorous cold front moved across British Columbia over the weekend and brought strong westerly to southwesterly winds to parts of interior regions,” according to Environment Canada.
“We watch the provincial and regional weather forecasts closely,” said Gammer. “In anticipation of storms, we practice preventative maintenance year-round. We maintain and inspect our power lines, poles and transformers, making repairs and replacing aging equipment.”
Ahead of the next unexpected outage, BC Hydro recommends preparing a guide. The company created resources on what to do during an outage, as well as how to prepare in advance on its website.
