Strong winds blowing across the northwest region of B.C. over the weekend resulted in many power outages in Terrace, Kitimat, and other communities in the region.
According to BC Hydro’s outage list, there were reports of power outages in different parts of Terrace, B.C., as early as Saturday afternoon, March 7. The power outages resulted in several thousand customers in different parts of Terrace being left in the dark.
Most of these power outages were reported in larger areas in the regions north and south of Highway 16, as well as smaller areas, including individual streets.
BC Hydro, however, later reported that some of these power outages were caused by trees falling onto power lines as a result of the strong winds blowing across the region. Power was later restored in some of these areas as early as Saturday evening, while others took longer into Sunday.
Kitimat also experienced outages during the storm. However, the outages in the area, which affected more than 270 customers in the area south of Haisla Boulevard, lasted for several hours on Saturday evening after a tree fell over the BC Hydro wires. A smaller outage, which affected a handful of customers, was also experienced in the area earlier in the evening.
These outages were all part of a bigger storm system that affected many in the northern parts of the province, including the Bulkley Valley area.
In a statement released on their Facebook page, BC Hydro stated that crews had been making progress in restoring power after the high winds that passed through northern B.C. on Saturday. They stated that all crews were working in the region, with additional crews being brought in from the Lower Mainland and Southern Interior.
Vista Radio reached out to BC Hydro for additional information about whether any long-term infrastructure damage occurred during the storm, but had not received a response at this time.
BC Hydro suggests that people stay at least 10 meters away from any downed wires and report any outages through their website or mobile app.
