The District of Hope crews were doing windstorm clean up on Tuesday morning (Dec. 16). Winds up to 100 km/h caused downed power lines and fallen trees across the Fraser Valley on Dec. 15. (Kemone Moodley/Hope Standard)
Vehicle access was restored to the Fraser Canyon Hospital Tuesday morning, as Hope cleaned up following a heavy windstorm.
A fallen tree and power lines blocking the main entrance to the hospital were removed by the morning of Dec. 16, and District of Hope crews could be seen throughout town cleaning up the damage caused by the windstorm the previous night.
Winds up to 100 km/h blew through the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon and caused massive damage and power outages for more than 40,000 BC Hydro customers throughout the region. This included 10 power outages in Hope, glass damage to district hall, and fallen trees throughout the area such as near the Coquihalla Campground, on Union Bar Road, and in the Fraser Hope Lodge's parking lot.
Vehicle access to the hospital was blocked at around 5:45 p.m. on Monday and it took crews around five hours to restore. Downed power lines were also reported by residents on Fort Street, near the Hope Legion Hall.
At about 10 a.m. on Tuesday (Dec. 16), power was still out for parts of Kawkawa Lake Road, Othello Road, Landstrom Road, and Tom Berry Road.
During the windstorm, residents were urged to stay indoors for their own safety.
On Dec. 15, just after 3 p.m., a woman was killed when a tree fell on her due to the strong winds. At the time the woman had been walking with her two children at Island 22 in Chilliwack. Victim Services was called in to assist the family.