Get out the candles, flashlights and board games West Coast; a six-hour power outage is coming.
Ucluelet, Macoah and Hitacu will be without power from noon to 6 p.m. today as Hydro crews work to repair a pole damaged in a car crash Thursday morning.
The crash occurred on Ucluelet’s side of the West Coast junction and Tofino’s end of the peninsula is not expected to be impacted.
A vehicle travelling southbound from Tofino to Ucluelet lost control near the junction and crashed into a Hydro pole around 2 a.m., according to Sgt. Steve Mancini of the Ucluelet RCMP. He said two occupants were in the vehicle and both suffered minor injuries but did not need to be taken to the hospital.
He added that alcohol, “has not been ruled out as a factor” in the crash.
“The matter is still under investigation,” he said.
Hydro spokesperson Karla Louwers told the Westerly that the company is working on a notification system to ensure customers are aware the power outage is looming.
“Our crews have been there and assessed the damage,” Louwers said. “The emergent nature of the outage, doesn’t allow for much notice, so we thank customers for their patience as we work to make these needed repairs…The pole is damaged. It’s not safe to leave it and we are mustering crews to get it replaced as quick as possible because, obviously, we can’t leave a pole in that state for public safety reasons as well as for the security of the power system.”
She added that outages can occur at any time so it’s important to be prepared.
“Have a plan for what to do in case of a prolonged outage,” she suggested.
Families looking forward to attending the Pacific Rim Whale Festival’s Maritime Kids’s Day at the Ucluelet Community Centre from 1-4 p.m. today do not need to fret as festival coordinator Sue Payne assured the event, and performance from popular children’s band Bobs and LoLo, is still on.
“We have a generator for Bobs and LoLo. It might be a little bit dark, but we are on,” Payne said. “A little power outage isn’t going to stop us. This is the West Coast.”