16
THE DAVEY BULLETIN
|
March/April 2019
Above: Trees blocked roadways throughout the Vancouver South
Coast after a storm hammered the region days before Christmas.
Left: More than 750,000 people lost power in the storm.
Below: High winds scattered big trees like toothpicks.
CHRISTMAS DELAYED FOR STORM RECOVERY CREWS
Would you sacrifice Christmas day
with your family by trading fuzzy
slippers and tasty holiday treats for
work boots and a hardhat?
That's exactly what employees in
western Canada working on the
British Columbia Utility accounts did.
BC Hydro, a long-time client of the
Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada,
Limited, suffered the most destructive
storm in the history of the utility just
five days before Christmas. A severe
windstorm slammed into the South
Coast of Vancouver on Dec. 20, 2018,
knocking out power to more than
750,000 of BC Hydro's customers.
Kevin Dykstra, area manager, British
Columbia Utility accounts, said the
storm created the most damage
on the Gulf Islands, an archipelago
in the Strait of Georgia between
Vancouver Island and the mainland
of British Columbia.
"They were the hardest hit," he said.
"They're small communities and
they're reliant on the power system
as well, but they're only accessible by
ferry. So, the crews had to leave their
home bases and go out to the Gulf
Islands and stay there."
Davey Canada sent nine crews totaling
18 employees. The immediate storm
response lasted from the day it struck
through Christmas to Dec. 28.
Thanks to their efforts, and the hard
work of fellow tree care companies,
most BC Hydro customers had power
restored by Christmas Eve.
Adam Knight, area supervisor,
Vancouver Island account, said Davey
crews continued working to make sure
everyone got their power back.
"Even working Christmas day,"
Knight said. "A lot of crews sacrificed
Christmas day to help get people's
power back on. They really stepped
up to the plate when it was needed."
Knight said several crews continued
working long after power was restored
to address other trees that were
damaged in the storm that posed
future threats to power infrastructure.
MISSION
The storm had delivered 15 inches of
rain in some areas with winds topping
out at 62 mph.
"Responding to this storm involved
our biggest mobilization of crews,
equipment and materials ever," Chris
O'Riley, BC Hydro president and CEO,
said in a press release. "We also
want to thank the many businesses –
small and large – that supported
our crews while they worked to
restore the power."
