PRINCE GEORGE — A Prince George resident says a tree that fell onto her house last Friday must remain in place until at least Thursday as high winds continue to batter British Columbia. Olivia Power lost power for three days due to the windstorm that toppled the tree. She said a removal service was not available until Wednesday at the earliest, but with winds picking up again, the work is delayed. Environment and Climate Change Canada has posted a swath of weather warnings for the province, including an orange wind warning for the Prince George region where gusts could reach 90 km/h.
Power and her husband sheltered in a basement hallway after the tree fell, not wanting to stay near windows as winds picked up. She said there is no water damage currently from the fallen tree. "We couldn't really go outside to look at what had happened. We were just worried with the windstorm that more trees were going to fall down," she said. B.C. Hydro said in an update that crews in the central Interior were having trouble accessing areas due to fallen trees and debris, leaving thousands without power for multiple days.
The utility said additional contractors, specialized equipment and resources have been brought into the region to support restoration efforts. More than 180 workers continue restoration efforts around the clock, it said, focusing on remaining outages and areas with significant damage. It warned that strong winds expected through late afternoon and early evening may cause additional outages. Power said she spoke to neighbours who told her the windstorms that struck Prince George and the Interior were unprecedented in nature.
"The community has really come together though," she said. "It's been really nice to see a lot of people wanting to help clear trees and and whatnot, so it's nice knowing that the community got each other's back. Even if we do get hit by another strong storm." A local property cleanup worker said last week's winds were strong enough to blow garbage from a dump into trees and send roof shingles into ditches. He reported hauling more than 1,300 kilograms of tree branches to the dump after the initial storm.
Luke Lamplugh, who runs Prince George Property Cleanup, offered advice for residents dealing with high winds and potential power losses. "If you're on natural gas [heating], and the fans don't work because the power is out, then you need to keep your windows closed and try and retain heat in the house," he said. "That's really important for a lot of folks, especially seniors around here." He also advised residents to store jugs of water in their freezer in case they lose power for multiple days. Environment and Climate Change Canada has warned of more than 250 millimetres of rain possible locally on Vancouver Island.