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Heavy fog covers the city skyline across the water in North Vancouver on Friday.Justine Beaulieu-Poudrier/The Globe and Mail
The wind that blew outside Gerry Sullivan’s bedroom in the Village of Zeballos on northwest Vancouver Island was enough to wake him up early Sunday morning.
“It was just howling, and we had thunder, we had lightning,” he said.
Sullivan and his wife Vicki said early Sunday that they hadn’t had power since Saturday afternoon as the second major storm to wallop parts of British Columbia over the last several days left thousands without electricity and one person dead when vehicles became trapped under a fallen tree.
The couple said they had two generators to keep the lights on and a wood stove for backup heat.
“I’m 72-years old and I’ve never ever experienced a wind like that,” Vicki Sullivan said, adding that she could hear trees falling outside their home Saturday.
On Sunday, the Village of Zeballos amended an evacuation order issued on Friday due to the risk of landslides, lifting the order on some of the initial 22 properties but adding others.
As of Sunday afternoon, an evacuation order was in place for 30 properties including both homes and vacant or unaddressed lots. An evacuation alert covered 19 properties.
The Strathcona Regional District said in a statement that a geotechnical assessment of the affected area had been received and recommendations are being implemented.
“Emergency officials continue to monitor conditions closely, particularly with additional storm systems and heavy rainfall forecast throughout the week. Conditions will be reassessed as weather systems move through the area,” the statement said.
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Gerry Sullivan said the village of about 120 residents is located about 42 kilometres away from the main highway along a forest service road. He said he wasn’t sure whether the road was passable after the most recent storm.
At about 8 a.m. Sunday, he said the wind had died down but it was still raining in Zeballos.
Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning Sunday morning for the Fraser Canyon between Boston Bar and Lytton, with rainfall amounts of up to 50 millimetres expected.
A wind warning for north central B.C. cautioned gusts reaching up to 90km/h until early Sunday evening. Additional warnings covered parts of the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.
The weather agency said more bad weather is on the way.
A special weather statement for the north, central and south coasts and Vancouver Island, said a “strong and potent series of storms” will move through the region from Tuesday through Thursday.
It said “significant rainfall accumulations” are expected, with upslope terrain and higher elevations expected to bit hit the hardest.
Police in Surrey, B.C., said one person died after two vehicles became trapped under a fallen tree during the storm on Saturday evening.
Officers were called to a report of downed wires and a fallen tree across a highway and found the vehicles trapped under the tree, a statement said.
One of the drivers was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was treated for minor injuries.
BC Hydro said approximately 30,000 customers remained were without power Sunday afternoon after the windstorms caused nearly 415,000 to lose power since Friday.
The provincial Crown utility said parts of Central Interior, particularly east and north of Prince George are facing “the most significant challenge” with crews dealing with extensive damage across a large area, including downed wire, numerous broken poles and other damaged electrical equipment.