The powerful windstorm that slammed into B.C.’s south coast on Saturday has claimed at least one person’s life.
A woman was outside her South Surrey home when part of a large tree snapped off and struck her.
The woman’s family confirmed to Global News she did not survive.
Surrey Fire Service Assistant Chief Mike McNamara says crews responded to two separate incidents involving trees falling onto people.
He said the fire department could not comment on the woman who was struck and killed by the falling tree branch because the case is under police jurisdiction.
“We attended the call,” he said. “It was a traumatic injury. Crews worked really hard there.”
In another incident, firefighters responded to a call involving the Valley View Memorial Gardens cemetery. A man visiting the cemetery was struck and injured by a tree that was knocked over by the wind. He was taken to hospital by an ambulance.
Powerful winds across the south coast also prompted wind warnings, cancelled ferry sailings and caused damage across the region, including a landslide.
Environment Canada issued a wind warning for Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Victoria, East and West Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands.
Southeast winds of up to 70 km/h, gusting up to between 90 and 100 km/h, were expected through the morning as a low pressure system made its way inland. Winds on Vancouver Island and across Metro Vancouver were expected to ease in the afternoon as the low moved inland.
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Bowen Island, Lions Bay, Metro Vancouver, West Vancouver to Boundary Bay and Saturna Island were expected to see wind until early in the evening.
The wind knocked out power for thousands of people and downed several trees.
B.C. Hydro says more than 280,000 customers across the south coast lost power on Saturday due to the windstorm. As of 7:30 p.m., the number of customers without power had gone down to about 77,000.
Ferry and water taxi service on Quadra Island was suspended due to the weather. BC Hydro says crews were standing by to attend to outages in that area once sailings resumed.
A landslide closed a section of Highway 99 in Lions Bay between Metro Vancouver and Whistler in both directions after it came crashing down onto a bridge.
The slide happened at Brunswick Beach around 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Pictures from the scene show a large amount of fallen trees and debris that slid over the bridge.
Crews are on scene to assess the damage and remove the debris, but Squamish RCMP says the highway is not expected to reopen before midnight. Drivers are asked to avoid the area.
A tree across Highway 99 through Stanley Park blocked one northbound lane but has since been cleared. Another tree down on SW Marine Drive near Cambie Street had blocked the eastbound lanes.
Many Saturday morning BC Ferries sailings were cancelled due to the bad weather.
The following sailings were cancelled between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay
7 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
7 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
9 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
9 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
9 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
12 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
11 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
11 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
1 p.m. departing Swartz Bay
1 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
The following sailings have been cancelled between Tsawwassen and Duke Point
5:15 a.m. departing Duke Point
5:15 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
7:45 a.m. departing Duke Point
7:45 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
10:15 a.m. departing Duke Point
10:15 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
12:45 p.m. departing Duke Point
12:45 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
The following sailings have been cancelled between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay
6:15 a.m. departing Horseshoe Bay
6:15 a.m. departing Departure Bay
8:25 a.m. departing Horseshoe Bay
8:25 a.m. departing Departure Bay
10:40 a.m. departing Departure Bay
10:40 a.m. departing Horseshoe Bay
1 p.m.. departing Departure Bay
1 p.m. departing Horseshoe Bay
Certain sailings on the following routes have also been cancelled due to the weather:
Langdale, New Brighton and Keats Landing
Blubber Bay and Westview
Campbell River and Quathiaski Cove
Shingle Spit and Gravelly Bay
Crofton and Vesuvius Bay
Chemainus, Penelakut Island and Thetis Island
Whaletown and Heriot Bay
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