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B.C. Hydro ‘working around the clock’ to restore power on Vancouver Island

Crews from around the province called to Island to help with aftermath of wind storm
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B.C. Hydro and tree service crews work on a section of Nanaimo River Road which suffered extensive damage to power lines when trees were toppled by powerful winds Thursday. CHRIS BUSH/ The News Bulletin

Dealing with the aftermath of a wind storm has B.C. Hydro crews “working around the clock.”

The utility continues to try to get customers powered up again after Thursday’s heavy winds knocked out power to more than 580,000 customers along B.C.’s south coast.

A press release from B.C. Hydro on Friday evening advised that crews “continue to make good progress,” and noted that additional crew have been brought in from other areas of the province to assist on Vancouver Island, which was hardest hit.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience as crews continue to work on the extensive damage caused by Thursday’s B.C. storm…” noted a social media post from B.C. Hydro. “We’ll be working around the clock until we have everyone back on.”

The utility added in the press release that it will prioritize repairs that pose a safety risk, such as downed power lines, “and on making repairs to high-voltage transmission lines and substations as this will bring the most customers back on as quickly as possible.”

B.C. Hydro warned Friday that for some customers it may be days before their power is restored.

Customers can view maps and lists of outages, with information on where work crews have been assigned, at http://bchydro.com/outages.

The City of Nanaimo’s South Fork Water Treatment Plant has had its power restored after generators broke down in the early-morning hours Friday, but businesses and residents were still being asked to conserve water.

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editor@nanaimobulletin.com

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