Late fall winds are pummelling communities from Sooke to Port Renfrew and the impact of those winds will almost certainly include power outages, says B.C. Hydro.
An outage in Shirley on Tuesday evening has left 37 customers without power as a result of a tree hitting a hydro line. Crews are on site, and power is expected to be restored by 11 a.m.
Two other outages, one north of Jordan River and another in Port Renfrew, have affected 100 and 275 customers, respectively.
“We have crews on the way and we’ll try to resolve those outages as soon as possible,” Ted Olynyk, a B.C. Hydro spokesman said. “And of course, it’s possible that more outages will occur if the winds persist.
Environment Canada has predicted that the winds will continue throughout the day, with a mix of sun and cloud expected later in the day.
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“When we get strong winds, it’s almost certain that we’ll have some trees coming down on power lines, resulting in power outages. That’s despite a fairly aggressive vegetation management system that we have in place,” Olynyk said.
“You have to remember that we have more trees (in the region) per kilometre of utility line than anywhere else in North America. Despite our best efforts, sometimes Mother Nature is going to beat us to the punch.”
Current information on power outages can be found at B.C.hydro.com/power-outages/app/outage-list.
mailto:tim.collins@sookenewsmirror.com
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