A powerful storm on Monday (Oct. 25) has left more than 900 BC Hydro customers without power on Cortes Island, and another 300 customers in the same predicament on Quadra Island.
Ted Olynyk, BC Hydro’s manager of community relations for Vancouver Island urges those customers to be patient while the utility provider works to solve the issues.
“We do have a crew on Cortes, and they’re making repairs there,” he said. “Unfortunately, power won’t be restored to Cortes until the power is fixed on the Powell River side.”
The island’s power supply is provided through Lund on the Sunshine Coast.
“We should have about half of Cortes up tonight,” he assured.
READ MORE: PHOTO/ VIDEO: Campbell River storm watching
READ MORE: Power outages reported for Cortes Island, Black Creek
Power to Quadra Island will be dependent on the choppy seas calming down.
“Unfortunately we can’t get over to Quadra because of the ferries,” Olynyk said.
“So there are no repairs that can be made on the island until the ferry resumes service.”
The power loss could be typical of the season.
“This is certainly the time of year, and it’s a reminder for all of us to be prepared and make sure we have everything we need to withstand any outage,” he said
Olynyk also reminded bystanders who see a downed line to remember to stay 10 metres away from it.
ronan.odoherty@campbellrivermirror.com
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