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British Columbia

B.C. storm topples trees, downs power lines and wreaks havoc

B.C.'s lower mainland was hit with high winds and chaos Saturday as gusts reached 80 kilometres per hour, forcing Stanley Park, the seawall and the PNE to close.

Power lines and tumbling trees cause chaos in the lower mainland on a gusty Saturday

Yvette Brend · CBC News ·

Winds peaking at 80 kilometres per hour caused havoc on B.C.'s Lower Mainland Saturday toppling trees, power lines and forcing the shut-down of the iconic downtown Stanley Park, due to danger from flying branches and debris.

911 was swamped with calls and Vancouver Police urged people to stay home if possible as high winds caused multiple disruptions in SkyTrain service and dangers along many roads, including live wire from downed power lines.

The famous Seawall was closed and even the Pacific National Exhibition park had to shut its gates due to weather for part of the day.

BC Ferries delayed sailing to Victoria and the Southern Gulf Islands citing "severe" weather, while people taking public transit faced road blockages and traffic slow downs as trees hit homes and littered residential streets.

Neighbours near East 6th in Vancouver shut their entire street with homemade signs after fallen trees made driving it impassible.

The number of homes without power continued to increase throughout the day, by 4 p.m. PT the figure was at more than 300,000.

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