—November 30—
5:00 p.m.
BC Hydro says power has been restored to 95 per cent of customers on Vancouver Island and the South Coast.
They say small pockets on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands still do not have power, totalling about 1,500.
They add all available crews are working to restore power and are thanking residents for their patience.
The winter storm knocked out power for about 93,000 people. Hydro says these storms are different because of the heavy snow, which causes more outages at a slower pace.
BC Hydro hopes to have all power restored this evening.
11:30 a.m.
BC Hydro says they have restored power to 88 per cent of customers following yesterday’s winter storm.
The storm left over 93,000 customers without power because of high winds and heavy snowfall, with the hardest hit areas being Courtenay, Nanaimo and Mayne Island.
Around 1,020 customers are without power between Campbell River and the Comox Valley including Hornby and Denman islands.
Fewer are without power between Nanaimo and Chemainus at 710 customers, and 1,334 customers still do not have power between Chemainus and Duncan including Salt Spring Island and Mayne Island.
BC Hydro adds that crews are working to replace power lines, power poles and other damaged electrical equipment, but are running into access issues because of the snow and some ferry cancellations.
They add because the outage involved snow, trees were weighted and fell at a slower rate and there were lots of small outages as a result.
It is hoped all customers will have their power restored by this evening, however, BC Hydro says access might cause delays.
They remind you to stay back 10 metres and dial 911 if you find a downed power line.
—November 29—
More than 10,000 customers on Vancouver Island and surrounding islands are without power as a powerful winter storm slams into the area.
Winter storm warnings are in effect between Campbell River and Nanoose Bay and snowfall warnings are in effect between Duncan and Nanaimo.
Winds between 70 kilometres per hour and 90 kilometres per hour are being predicted for tonight, along with 10 to 15 centimetres of snow.
Power outages are occurring up and down Vancouver Island, a list of customers without power is as follows:
- Port Hardy: 167
- Quadra Island: 201
- Campbell River: 76
- Comox Valley (including Denman and Hornby Islands): 4,178
- Nanaimo and Ladysmith: 2,323
- Duncan and Salt Spring Island: 3,440
A total of 10,385 customers are without power. BC Hydro says they have assigned crews to many of the outages, although, many of them are still under investigation according to the outage map.
Environment and Climate Change Canada is warning drivers to slow down and drive with caution on slick roads.
