Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, has issued the following statement on wind storm recovery efforts:

“The Dec. 20th wind storm caused significant damage to British Columbia’s electrical transmission infrastructure in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. I extend my thanks to BC Hydro crews and other personnel who have been working around the clock to respond to the storm.

“BC Hydro has indicated that this storm is one of worst it has experienced in 20 years and, while more than 550,000 customers have had power restored, 44,000 remain without power. Due to the extent of the damage and the number of trees down across roads, restoration of services to some communities and homes will take several days.

“Emergency operations centres have been activated in affected areas and warming centres have been opened in many communities.

“I would ask all British Columbians in affected areas to ensure that they have supplies and plans in place to remain safe during this incident, and to please check in on neighbours, particularly those in a vulnerable situation.

“Remember that downed power lines should be considered live and members of the public should keep back at least 10 metres.

“In addition, it is important that people use generators safely and never use a portable generator or outdoor barbecue or camp stove indoors.

“I know that an extended power outage during the holiday season presents particular challenges for many. I want to ensure British Columbians that our government will continue to support BC Hydro as it works to safely restore power as quickly as possible.”

Learn More:

For the latest information on outages, visit: www.bchydro.com/outages  

For local reception and warming centres and other emergency information, visit: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/windstorm-related-power-outages-dec-22-2018/

For power outage safety tips, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/preparedbc/know-the-risks/power-outages