Thousands still without power in southwest B.C. after brutal windstorm

VANCOUVER – Hydro crews continue working to reconnect tens of thousands of customers who lost power as a windstorm swept across southwestern British Columbia.

BC Hydro says an estimated 500,000 customers were left in the dark Saturday as 80 kilometre an hour winds brought trees and branches crashing down onto power lines, cars — and in Surrey onto a woman in her 40s who was walking with her daughter.

The RCMP described the woman's injuries as life-threatening.

The bulk of the outages occurred in the Greater Vancouver Area, and BC Hydro says that as of 5 a.m. Sunday approximately 187,000 customers were still waiting for the power to be restored.

Strong winds also swept through Rock Creek in the Kootenay Boundary region, where a 44-square-kilometre wildfire destroyed 30 homes earlier this month.

The storm triggered wind warnings from Environment Canada, forced the temporary closure of Vancouver's Stanley Park, and slowed ferry service between Victoria and the mainland.

The cost of the extensive property damage and the bill for cleaning up the huge mess have yet to be tallied.

BC Hydro said in a release that crews are addressing public safety issues first and "aim to get power back for highest density areas in order to get as many customers back as possible."

"We're hoping to restore power to the majority of customers by noon Sunday," the utility said.