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Windstorm causes trees to topple onto house in Nanaimo

Elderly couple left wondering if they will be forced to leave their home at Cathers Lake

A couple in Nanaimo are wondering where they will be sleeping tonight after heavy winds felled trees onto their home.

Two trees fell onto the roof of a home in the 2700 block of Michigan Way on Wednesday, May 18, causing extensive damage to the roof and interior of the house.

Homeowner Sue Errington said she had just moved from her bedroom to another room to rest because she was worried about the two trees on the edge of her property on the shore of Cathers Lake.

“I’ve been worried about those trees for 15 years and they came down…” Errington said. “The drywall that used to be on my ceiling is now on my floor.”

Errington said her husband is ill and they were waiting for insurance adjusters, who would help determine if the couple would be able to stay in their home.

The trees, which Errington said were on city property, also damaged her next door neighbour’s house, fences and garden shed.

According to BC Hydro media release, crews have worked to restore electricity service to more than 67,000 customers in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast who lost power during Wednesday’s wind storm.

The hardest hit communities include Nanaimo, Duncan, Qualicum Beach and Galiano Island.

“All available resources will continue to work throughout the night to safely restore power. Some customers on the Gulf Islands, and in Duncan, Qualicum Beach and Parksville may be without power overnight,” the release states.

“Wednesday’s storm brought heavy rains and strong winds to the region and left 121,000 customers without power. Many of the outages were caused by trees making contact with power lines. A downed power line is considered an emergency situation and members of the public should stay at least 10 metres back and call 911 immediately.”

For updates on outages, please check the BC Hydro website.

READ ALSO: City of Nanaimo closes its parks while wind warning in effect

READ ALSO: Thousands without power on B.C.’s south coast amid windstorm



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An elderly couple fear they may have to leave their Nanaimo home of 15 years after it suffered heavy damage when high winds felled trees Wednesday, May 18. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)
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An elderly couple fear they have to leave their Nanaimo home of 15 years after it suffered heavy damage when high winds felled trees Wednesday, May 18. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)


Chris Bush

About the Author: Chris Bush

As a photographer/reporter with the Nanaimo News Bulletin since 1998.
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