A second major storm brought damaging winds and widespread outages across parts of B.C., with an evacuation order still affecting properties in Zeballos and one death reported in Surrey.
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The second major storm to hit parts of British Columbia in recent days left thousands of residents without power and triggered additional weather warnings early Sunday.
In the Village of Zeballos on northwest Vancouver Island, Gerry Sullivan said the wind outside his bedroom woke him early Sunday morning, and he described “howling” conditions along with thunder and lightning. Sullivan and his wife Vicki said they had not had power since Saturday afternoon, and that they had two generators for lights and a wood stove for backup heat.
Vicki Sullivan said she was “72-years old” and “I’ve never ever experienced a wind like that,” adding that she could hear trees falling outside their home on Saturday. Gerry Sullivan said the village, which has about 120 residents, is roughly 42 kilometres from the main highway along a forest service road, and he was not sure whether that road was passable after the latest storm. At about 8 a.m. Sunday, he said the wind had died down but it was still raining in Zeballos.
An evacuation order issued after an earlier storm on Friday remained in place for 22 properties in Zeballos after heavy rain and flooding raised landslide risk. The Strathcona Regional District said a geotechnical engineer had completed an initial assessment of the area under evacuation, and the district was awaiting a formal report. The district also said one of the main roads, Maquinna Avenue, was reopened to essential travel, but stopping was prohibited because of ongoing public-safety risk.
Across B.C., BC Hydro said approximately 135,000 customers were without power early Sunday morning, with the figure dropping to about 63,000 as of 7 a.m. as crews restored electricity.
In Surrey, B.C., police said one person died after two vehicles became trapped under a fallen tree during the storm on Saturday evening. Officers responded to a report of downed wires and a fallen tree across a highway and found the vehicles trapped under the tree; one driver was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was treated for minor injuries.
Weather warnings issued by Environment Canada included a rainfall warning around 10:30 a.m. Sunday for the Fraser Canyon between Boston Bar and Lytton, forecasting up to 50 millimetres of rainfall. Rainfall warnings were lifted for northern and western Vancouver Island, while a wind warning for north central B.C. warned of gusts up to 90 km/h until early Sunday evening. Additional warnings were in place early Sunday for parts of the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.
The province’s River Forecast Centre said a third storm starting later Monday may bring a more prolonged period of rainfall across B.C.’s coast through next week.
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