Fortis offers update on regional outages after electrical storm
By Contributor
FortisBC experienced storm-related damage to its electricity system overnight and this morning and we’re working to restore service to about 1,500 FortisBC customers in the Christina Lake and communities between Nelson, Crawford Bay and Kaslo.
Our crews are committed to restoring power quickly and safely 24 hours a day in all weather. Five crews worked throughout the night to assess damage, remove trees and repair lines. Five additional crews, including one brought in from the South Okanagan, continue to work in the area today.
Here is further information on the restoration efforts in each area:
· Kaslo has the most significant number of customer impacted with close to 1,000 without power. We completed an aerial assessment of the line and expect to restore power to customers, section-by-section, starting at around 2 p.m.
· Crews are working along Riondell Road to remove a tree and repair damage. They expect to have power restored to all customers by about 2 p.m.
· Crews are en route to the Shoreacres area and will also need to remove a tree before they can restore power. They expect to have power restored to all about 2 p.m. depending on the extent of the damage and accessibility of the area. Some customers in this area may have power restored sooner from an alternate source, but could experience intermittent outages until the repair is complete.
· Crews will arrive in South Slocan as soon as possible once they complete repairs in other areas. Toe outage is also from a tree. Some of these customers may have also have power restored from an alternate source, but may continue to experience intermittent outages until the repair is complete.
· Crews are working to remove a tree from a line in Grand Forks and expect to have power restored by 1:45.
· Trees are causing outages in multiple areas in Christina Lake. Depending on the extent of the damage and accessibility of the area, we expect to have power restored to customers along West Lake drive by about 3:30 p.m. and customers on the east side of Christina Lake by 8 p.m.
We recognize the inconvenience to our customers and appreciate their patience and understanding. This is a good reminder to It’s always a good idea to be prepared in case a power outage occurs by having an emergency kit with items like flashlights, a battery operated radio and fresh water on hand in an area that is easily accessible to you and your family
Remember to never touch a downed power line and stay at least a bus length away. To report an outage, downed wires or poles, please call 1.866.436.7847.
For further updates, please see our outage map at outages.fortisbc.com.
