High winds and heavy rains are the culprit according to BC Hydro, citing downed lines and major damage to its power systems.
Outages range across the south island from Maple Bay to Shawnigan Lake and as of 7:20 a.m. on October 25th, roughly 8000 people are without power.
The worst areas are Maple Bay, North Cowichan, Duncan, Cobble Hill, and Shawnigan Lake.
Director of Communications for the Cowichan Valley School District Mike Russell says parents should be prepared for some schools to be without power. For more updates on current school closures, visit their Facebook page.
BC Hydro reminds customers that if they see a downed line, to not approach it and to report it to 911.
For more updates on when crews are assigned to outages and estimated times for power restoration, visit BC Hydro’s outage map.
