A second storm in British Columbia on Sunday morning left about 135,000 BC Hydro customers without power at the height of the event, with Environment Canada warning of rainfall and high wind gusts.
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BC Hydro said that at the height of the second storm in a series, approximately 135,000 customers were without power early Sunday morning, and the number had dropped to about 63,000 as of 7 a.m. while crews worked to restore service.
The utility spokesperson, Whiteney Deane, said crews were making good progress but expected more damage and outages as windy conditions continued Sunday.
Environment Canada issued rainfall warnings Sunday morning for northern and western Vancouver Island, with rainfall amounts of up to 120 millimetres expected in some areas. Wind warnings were also in effect for parts of the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast, north central B.C., and Vancouver Island, with gusts reaching up to 90 km/h on the mainland and 100 km/h on the Island.
Gerry Sullivan, a resident of the Village of Zeballos on northwest Vancouver Island, said the storm woke him early Sunday. “It was just howling, and we had thunder, we had lightning,” he said, adding that the village is located on an inlet on the west coast where winds intensify.
In Zeballos, an evacuation order remains in place for 22 properties following heavy rain and flooding from a storm Friday that raised the landslide risk. The Strathcona Regional District said on Saturday that a geotechnical engineer had completed an initial assessment and the district was awaiting the formal report.
Sullivan and his wife, Vicki, said they have been without power since Saturday afternoon and are relying on two generators and a wood stove for backup heat. “I’m 72-years-old and I’ve never ever experienced a wind like that,” Vicki Sullivan said, adding that she could hear trees falling outside their home Saturday.
The regional district said one of the main roads in the area, Maquinna Avenue, was reopened to essential travel, but stopping is prohibited because of an ongoing risk to public safety.
At about 8 a.m. Sunday, Sullivan said the wind had died down but it was still raining in Zeballos.
B.C.’s River Forecast Centre said a third storm starting later Monday may bring a more prolonged period of rainfall across the province’s coast through next week.
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