02 Jan 2020 | 05:08 AM UTC
Canada: Snowstorm causes power outages in British Columbia January 1
Hundreds of thousands of customers lose power in British Columbia (BC) following snowstorm on January 1; some outages expected to continue into January 2
Event
Hundreds of thousands of customers in British Columbia (BC) lost power on the morning (local time) of Wednesday, January 1, following a snowstorm. Utility provider BC Hydro deployed crews to repair lines and infrastructure throughout the day, restoring power to most residents. As of 20:50 on Wednesday, over 20,000 customers remain without electricity, including in the Thompson, Shuswap, Okanagan, and Kootenay regions. Some of the worst hit communities include Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kamloops, Williams Lake, and 100 Mile House.
According to BC Hydro, power outages are expected to continue overnight into Thursday, January 2, as repair efforts are ongoing. Updates on current outages can be found on the BC Hydro website here.
Advice
Individuals in British Columbia are advised to monitor local weather reports, keep battery-operated devices fully charged whenever possible, to be cautious when driving or crossing streets if traffic signals are not functioning.
