A windstorm that swept through the Creston Valley during the waking hours of Sept. 7 saw the Creston Fire Rescue (CFR) team respond to over 25 calls for assistance throughout the day.
“It was about 5 a.m. when the wind started. Our first call came in at about 6:30 a.m., and then every two minutes there was somebody else calling in. Our last call was finished at around 5 p.m.” said Laura Dodman, the assistant fire chief for CFR.
According to Environment Canada, gusts of wind reached maximum speeds of 75 km/h in the Creston area.
No injuries or fires were reported, and Dodman said that the nature of many of the calls revolved around trees or power-lines falling onto residences.
“We did do a few assist calls for getting people out of their homes. When power-lines come down, we just try and keep people away from the lines,” she said.
Roadways containing downed power-lines were blocked off until FortisBC confirmed to CFR that the lines were de-energized, she added.
“We did have a call for a carbon monoxide alarm ringing off. I’m not sure if that is due to the power outage or a surge in the power-lines,” she said. “That was delayed because the road was blocked completely. We had to wait for Fortis to clear the lines so we could open the roadway.”
She highlighted that while there were calls coming in from all over the Creston Valley, many originated from Arrow Creek and the Lakeview area.
“We had some calls up the lake. I think the only area we didn’t respond to was West Creston,” she said.
As of 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 8, the CFR team has not received any calls for assistance as a result of the previous day’s storm.
“There’s a lot of debris out in everybody’s yards, and there is still a burning restriction for category two and three fires, which includes debris — tree trimmings, grass,” said Dodman. “I hope people remember that there’s no burning.”
According to FortisBC, hundreds of residents throughout the Creston Valley are still without power, as of 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 8.
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“We’re always concerned when the power comes on, especially if people were cooking at the time when the power goes out,” said Dodman. “Sometimes you forget to turn off your appliances or disconnect them. Hopefully, we won’t be called out to anything of that nature.”
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: aaron.hemens@crestonvalleyadvance.ca
@aaron_hemens
aaron.hemens@crestonvalleyadvance.ca
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