High winds from a powerful storm system pounded southern Vancouver Island on Tuesday, keeping B.C. Hydro crews busy trying to restore power to tens of thousands of residents.
“At its peak, we had 41,000 customers out, and at some point today over 100,000 people were impacted” on south Vancouver Island, said B.C. Hydro spokesman Ted Olynyk.
Sooke and the West Shore were particularly hard hit, with trees, many in a weakened state, and branches falling across power lines.
“If trees have been stressed because of the very dry summer we had, they’re more fragile than they might normally be,” he said.
Olynyk anticipated that 5,000 customers would not have their power restored by Tuesday night. “We can bring 2,000 customers back on with one call, but with 5,000 it’s multiple calls we’re dealing with. It’s door-to-door warfare.”
A falling tree snapped a power pole along Sooke Road near Kangaroo Road.
“We’ve got trees down just about on every street and then, of course, taking down power lines,” said Metchosin Fire Chief Stephanie Dunlop. “Just to stress, do not go near a downed power line, don’t try to drive over it. Treat every line like it’s a live one.”
In Victoria, municipal crews were dealing with four downed trees by early afternoon — on Camosun Street the near the fire station, at Finlayson and Quadra Streets, on Green Street and on Avebury Avenue, said city spokeswoman Katie Hamilton.
Hamilton said power problems affected some traffic lights, including those at Pandora Avenue and Vancouver Street, while city crews focused on catch basins to prevent pooling and flooding.
A huge Garry oak tree came crashing down about noon in Fernwood, reported Raymond Mew, who lives on Avebury.
“It had the misfortune of being a ‘leaner,’ ” said Mew, who estimated the tree was 200 years old. “We’re on rock here, so there isn’t a lot of topsoil.”
Strong winds also led to the cancellation of a morning sailing on the Tsawwassen-Southern Gulf Islands route and some crossings on the Brentwood Bay-Mill Bay run.
The Mill Bay route was being assessed “sailing-by-sailing,” said B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall.
Victoria Clipper service between Victoria and Seattle was cancelled Tuesday. Black Ball Ferries had no plans to cancel its Coho sailings, the company said via Twitter.
Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist said the strongest gusts in the Victoria area were measured about noon at Trial Island.
The wind speed — 124 kilometres an hour — is typically generated only once or twice during a fall/winter storm season.
Other notable gusts at about the same time were 99 km/h at Gonzales and 80 km/h at the Inner Harbour, he said.
Heavy rain fell in some areas, leading to flooding.
There was a partial road closing near Wilkinson and Roy roads because of flooding. Sooke Road was also shut for several hours, as was part of Prospect Lake Road.
The region’s extreme weather protocol was activated Tuesday night, providing 85 additional emergency beds at Salvation Army, Our Place and Victoria Native Friendship Centre, Victoria police confirmed. The protocol is used when temperatures are near freezing, or there is heavy rain, wind or snow.
Lundquist said the weather is due to ease in the coming days.
“The whole thing is quietening up, and we’re looking for some sunny breaks for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”
