By The Canadian Press/Global News

Holiday storm worst in B.C. Hydro’s history

Jan 2, 2019 | 4:50 AM

VANCOUVER — It was the worst windstorm in B.C. Hydro history to deal with. In a news release, Hydro says it was the most damaging they’ve ever had. 

The storm hit December 20th. Three quarters of a million people were without power. That’s more than the windstorm in August 2015 that hit the Lower Mainland and the one that devastated parts of Stanley Park in 2006. 

 Winds topped 100 km/h in some areas with gusts coming from several directions. This was after a series of heavy rains, which undermined the soil and destabilized trees. 

A man had to be rescued from the pier in White Rock after it collapsed, trapping him on the wrong side of the pier. The water treatment plant in Nanaimo was damaged, a number of trees crashed down on houses, houses were damaged, and the Gulf Islands were without power for most of the holidays. 

Ferry cancellations were the order of the day, causing confusion and chaos during the busy holiday season. 

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The storm damaged a record amount of hydro infrastructure, including 86,000 metres of damaged power line, 390 damaged power poles and 3,200 pieces of electrical equipment.

Hydro says it will have a total debrief of the situation to see if they can make changes that will help response times in the event of future outages.