BC Hydro expected to fully restore power after 90-kilometre-per-hour winds

VANCOUVER – BC Hydro crews were expected to fully restore power by Friday evening to about 1,200 customers who were without electricity when a wind storm hit Thursday night in parts of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland.

Hydro spokeswoman Mora Scott says the remaining outages were scattered throughout the region, including West Vancouver and Bowen Island, but crews were working to repair damaged power lines and power poles.

She says about 100,000 customers were affected at different times by the storm starting at about 9 p.m. Thursday and that 45,000 customers lost power at its peak between midnight and 1 a.m.

Gusts of nearly 90 kilometres per hour were recorded.

By daylight Friday, about 13,000 customers were still in the dark.

Wind warnings issued by Environment Canada overnight were dropped within hours, but gusty winds were still buffeting the region in advance of another round of heavy rain that was due Friday night.