By Nora OB次元官网网址橫alley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter HA-SHILTH-SA

Two days without power, Ahousaht and Tofino residents are heading into their third night without electricity, as BC Hydro works to recover transmission after the worst storm the utility has seen in almost six years.

As of mid-afternoon on Thursday, Nov. 21, Tofino, the Tla-o-qui-aht communities along Long Beach and AhousahtB次元官网网址檚 village of Maaqtusiis on Flores Island were without electricity. In the afternoon of Nov. 19 power was cut to the coastal communities, along with approximately 300,000 people in B.C., when strong winds mixed with heavy rain caused trees to be uprooted across the province.

By 5 p.m. on the following day, power had been restored to 80 per cent of those affected, but all of Clayoquot Sound remained in the dark. Power didnB次元官网网址檛 return to Ucluelet until the following morning on Thursday.

Called a `bomb cycloneB次元官网网址� by meteorologists who delivered warnings as the storm approached, the hardest hit areas were on Vancouver Island, where winds off the west coast reached 170 kilometres an hour, according to Ted Olynyk, community relations manager with BC Hydro.

B次元官网网址淭his certainly ranks up there in the top couple of storms that IB次元官网网址檝e seen,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t spared no one on this island, really, especially those exposed in the coastal areas.B次元官网网址�

In Port Alberni residents were without power for approximately an hour on Tuesday evening as the storm wind howled overhead, and 25 power poles in the small city were damaged by falling trees.

B次元官网网址淭he Beaver Creek area is just a real mess,B次元官网网址� said Olynyk.

Westbound the damage is more severe, where countless uprooted trees have challenged hydro crews working day and night to restore power to communities in Clayoquot Sound. Things are particularly bad along the stretch of Highway 4 between Ucluelet and Tofino.

B次元官网网址淒amage is pretty significant, especially by the junction area. WeB次元官网网址檙e sending more crews over from other parts of the island to help out with the work,B次元官网网址� said Olynyk at midday on Thursday. B次元官网网址淲e hope to have most customers up, but thereB次元官网网址檚 going to be pockets we may not get to. Working over in the area that feeds Ahousaht, IB次元官网网址檓 not sure of the timeline of that just yet.B次元官网网址�

A submarine cable stretches from Tofino across the ocean floor to Flores Island, where the Ahousaht village of Maaqtusiis went without power since the storm hit. The remote community coordinated trips to Tofino for fuel to run generators and power non-electrical appliances. In the communityB次元官网网址檚 Thunderbird Hall movies are being screened and meals served, tables lining the large building for the coordinated feasts.

B次元官网网址淲e have been doing our best to make direct contact with the BC hydro front-line workers for an update, no answer back thus far,B次元官网网址� stated Curtis Dick from Ahousaht Emergency Response in an online update given on Thursday, noting that he had heard from the provincial government.

B次元官网网址淓mergency Management Climate Readiness has also called us and will be making contact to BC Hydro for an update status of our hydro. So please be patient and as soon as we hear anything we will pass it along to the community.B次元官网网址�

Efforts to restore power to Clayoquot Sound were challenged by highway closures during the first few hours of the storm, when fallen trees blocked land passage. Some BC Hydro personnel living in Tofino and Ucluelet were able to respond quickly, but others could not access the west coast power lines due to Highway 4 being blocked until Wednesday morning.

Further south on the coast Bamfield and Anacla were without power for over a day. The blackout lasted 43.5 hours, according to Huu-ay-aht member Stella Peters, who saw extensive damage from the wind and rain blowing over trees. Fortunately, most people in the coastal Barkley Sound region have wood stoves, propane appliances, diesel generators and canned food in storage, she said. ItB次元官网网址檚 a lesson that has remained from the December 2006 storm that cut off power to the region for nine days, she said.

More than 250,000 people in the province lost power at the height of that storm. The weather event battered the Pacific Northwest, notably knocking down thousands of trees in VancouverB次元官网网址檚 Stanley park, while Peters recalls AnaclaB次元官网网址檚 household water source being cut off for five days due to the electrical disruption.

B次元官网网址淪tanley Park made the news `cause trees came down, but we didnB次元官网网址檛 make the news,B次元官网网址� she commented.

Judi Thomas remembers that 2006 storm well, as it also affected the Ditidaht First Nation village of Nitinaht on southwest Vancouver Island. As of Thursday afternoon, Nov. 21, power had not been restored to Nitinaht.

B次元官网网址淥ur staff are really pulling together and we have warming stations in the community and hot soup going out,B次元官网网址� said Thomas, who is chief councillor of the Ditidaht First Nation. B次元官网网址淭he Economic Development Corporation has gone the extra mile to make sure the store is open for warmth and their internet access as well. TheyB次元官网网址檝e got a generator set up at the store running, keeping people warm and fed and socializing to keep some semblance of peace and a little bit of normality.B次元官网网址�

The First Nation is running generators to power three internet sources to ensure connectivity in Nitinaht, which does not have cellular phone coverage.

Like other remote west coast communities, power outages are a regular occurrence during the stormy months in Nitinaht. Thomas said approximately 80 per cent of the villageB次元官网网址檚 residents rely on non-electrical sources of heat, such as wood or propane stoves.

B次元官网网址淎 lot do, and then again thereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of new people in the community that arenB次元官网网址檛 familiar, so itB次元官网网址檚 a learning curve for them,B次元官网网址� she said.

Another part of life in the region is clearing the road to Nitinaht of vegetation to ensure a safe passage for others.

B次元官网网址淯sually thereB次元官网网址檚 trees down all over, but locals out of Nitinaht and community members, they drive the routes to make sure that they have a power saw in the back of their truck,B次元官网网址� said Thomas. B次元官网网址淭hey limb and cut and move trees out of the way. ItB次元官网网址檚 become a way of life for people at Nitinaht to be prepared with power saws, candles, emergency food sources. TheyB次元官网网址檙e pretty resilient people.B次元官网网址�

This monthB次元官网网址檚 storm has been a challenge for coastal residents and the power utility, but for BC Hydro the worst weather event in the provinceB次元官网网址檚 history remains a December 2018 deluge and gale. At its height more than 750,000 people in B.C. were without power due to wind from multiple directions uprooting trees from ground that was already saturated by days of heavy rain.

As winter storms continue, BC Hydro works year-round to prevent more lines from being disrupted.

B次元官网网址淲e do pretty extensive vegetation management, making sure we clear the trees, vegetation that can contact our lines,B次元官网网址� said Olynyk.

He reminds people to be cautious around downed lines that could still be live.

B次元官网网址淚f you see a downed line, stay 10 metres back,B次元官网网址� urged Olynyk. B次元官网网址淎 line may not have tripped out when it hit the ground.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址� with files from Eric Plummer