More than 20,000 customers on southern Vancouver Island were left without power Wednesday morning after a powerful rain and wind storm brought trees down on electrical lines.
The biggest outages were in the Gulf Islands, Duncan and Ladysmith.
By 4:30 p.m., B.C. Hydro said power for most of the 105,000 B.C. customers affected by the storm had been restored, but 8,000 were still in the dark — the majority in Duncan, one of the hardest-hit areas.
It said all available BC Hydro crews and contractor crews were working to have power for the “vast majority” of customers restored Wednesday night.
The Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District closed Ladysmith Primary School and Ladysmith Secondary School Wednesday due to the power outage, asking that children who had already left for school be picked up. It said staff were onsite to ensure the safety of students who could not be picked up.
The Cowichan Valley School District also advised that several of its schools were without power Wednesday, and road conditions in some areas were expected to cause busing delays.
Drivers heading southbound through the Tunnel Hill repair area on the Malahat were being warned to be cautious after an early-morning rock slide.
Highway maintenance contractor Emcon Services said debris was coned off, with room to safely pass, and there was no immediate danger in the area. The area from Finlayson Arm Road to Aspen Road was undergoing geotechnical assessment, and highway closures of up to 15 minutes were planned for rock removal.
Another rock slide in the Nanaimo area closed a section of highway 200 metres south of the intersection of Harmac Road and Cedar Road/Raines Road Wednesday afternoon.
Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for the Malahat, Shawnigan Lake, Nanaimo, Duncan, Lantzville, Chemainus and Ladysmith, calling for up to 60 millimetres of rain and wet snow at higher elevations.
People were advised to watch for washouts near rivers, creeks and culverts.
Sun is forecast for the rest of the week in Greater Victoria, with mostly clear skies and daytime temperatures of 7 to 11 C.
