A few hundred homes on the Sunshine Coast were without power for up to three days after a major wind and rain storm hit between Aug. 29 and Sept. 1.
Winds hit gusts of up to 72 km an hour, toppled trees and downed power lines on Aug. 29, causing hundreds of residents to lose electricity.
BC Hydro was overwhelmed by the demand for service on and off Coast and the company’s website experienced technical issues over the weekend, making it difficult for customers to find out when their service would be restored.
Fallen power lines in Pender Harbour caused the closure of Highway 101 for several hours and the smashing of waves in Sechelt led the District to remove its pedestrian float and ramp in Trail Bay.
“It came off from its mooring buoys,” said Connie Jordison, District of Sechelt communications manager. “It was only holding on by a couple and two of the benches got wiped right off it, so it was sort of semi-submerged and I believe the connection point between the ramp and float got damaged because it was sort of bending at that point. There was also some damage to the ramp caused by things breaking loose – it was quite the wind.”
The ramp and float were towed to a winter storage location and won’t be available again until the spring of 2016.
“Our apologies for any inconvenience that this may cause,” a press release from the District of Sechelt said.
Outdoor events impacted by the weekend storm included Sechelt’s Summer Music Series, which was moved inside to keep performers and spectators dry, and the weekly Farmers’ Market on Cowrie Street.
Vendors showed up Saturday morning for the market with the best intentions, but many packed up and left shortly after arriving. Few made it past lunch and no one stayed until the regular end time of 2:30 p.m.
According to Environment Canada, the Sunshine Coast received a total of 47.1 mm of rainfall between Aug. 29 and Sept. 1.
More rain fell in the mountains than in the lower levels, with the Sunshine Coast Regional District reporting more than 200 mm of rain in the same period up at Chapman Lake.
