Power to most homes and businesses in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows has been restored after violent winds and heavy rain brought trees down and toppled power lines Tuesday morning.
Multiple areas across the region were in the dark including the area of 287th Street and 98th Avenue where the streets were closed off as the lines are arcing and sparking.
An outage in the area north of 98th Avenue, east of 240th Street, west of Ferguson Avenue and south of Dewdney Trunk Road affected 1,710 customers Tuesday morning around 8:15 a.m.
In addition, the area west of 238th Street, east of Cottonwood Drive, south of 116th Avenue and north of 109th Avenue also saw 465 customers in the dark.
An outage in Silver Valley, east of Forman Drive and north of Foreman Drive affected 1,041 customers.
Most of the areas have been restored, however there are pockets still without power.
The area east of 248th Street, west of Palmer Rolph Street, South of Ferguson Avenue, and north of 108th Avenue has 85 people still without power while the 21400 block of 124 Avenue is still faced with a minor outage due to wind.
Due to the storm, the Maple Ridge Fire Department has been dealing with a rash of calls for downed power lines due to falling tree branches.
A weather advisory for heavy rains and flooding is in affect and expected to last until late Wednesday, Oct. 18.
The public is being asked to make sure the catch basins on their street are cleared of leaves and other debris.
The predicted “rainpocalypse” has city crews inspecting drainage culverts, said city manager of corporate communications Fred Armstrong, but the public’s assistance helps prevent localized flooding.
The city has “Adopt a catch basin” messaging, and there is a map of all the basins in the city.
Rain is to taper off on Tuesday as the front moves eastward. Rainfall amounts are expected to be near 50-70 mm by Tuesday morning, and heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Up to 100 mm is forecast for some areas.
The city asks the public to rake up leaves and collect them for composting, rather than using a leaf blower and blowing them into the street.
Armstrong said with darkness coming on sooner, and rain making visibility poor and lengthening braking distances, it is incumbent on drivers to slow down during heavy rain.
• For the latest updates on power outages, visit www.bchydro.com