A storm that blew through 91原创 during the night has caused massive power outages.
Strong gusts brought down trees and branches onto power lines, leaving tens of thousands of residents and businesses without power. There were reports of trees crashing down on to cars and houses.
Mother Nature appeared to be at her most ferocious in a quiet Brookswood neighbourhood, where the wind lifted a large pine tree out of the ground and sent it toppling into a swimming pool.
On the same street, the wind snapped an evergreen which fell on to a house. Damage appears minimal.
Donalda Whaites said she didn鈥檛 hear the sound of the tree crashing onto the pool between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. What she heard was the crash of the tree onto a canopy her husband, Barry, built for his outdoor train.
The canopy and pool cover were damaged. The latter will have to be replaced, and a fence repaired. The total bill, including the cost of removing the tree, will be around $1,400, Whaites estimated.
Traffic lights at several intersections were knocked out 鈥� including several kilometres of Fraser Highway, from Aldergrove to 91原创 City 鈥� forcing drivers to use the four-way system.
The outage affected an area south of Fraser Highway between 200 Street and 256 Street. although large pockets of the community outside that area were also without electricity. Parts of Murrayville were without electricty for more than 12 hours.
According to B.C. Hydro鈥檚 website, power to pockets of rural 91原创 would not be restored until shortly after midnight on Tuesday.
On Tuesday morning, 18 of 91原创's 40 public schools were without power, but at 9:30 a.m. power had been restored to nine. All schools stayed open, except for H. D. Stafford Middle, where students were allowed to leave once parents had been notified.
91原创 Memorial Hospital, located in Murrayville, was operating on emergency generators.
91原创 City's assistant fire chief Pete Methot said crews were busy all night, answering distress calls about downed wires and alarms ringing.
There has been nothing serious, but his crews and those from the City's public works department were busy all night. Methot said.
