Meh. We're going to experience what's it like to have hurricane-like winds in BC. Prepare yourselves!
[H3]B.C. storm reaches near-hurricane-force winds[/H3] [P class=timeStamp]Updated Fri. Dec. 15 2006 9:55 AM ET
[P class=storyAttributes]CTV.ca News Staff
The third Pacific storm to hit the West Coast this week is packing near-hurricane-force winds of more than 100 kilometres an hour.
The winds have toppled trees, blocked roads and knocked out power to at least 100,000 homes.
Environment Canada said the Vancouver airport weather station is recording wind blasts of 95 km/h and in West Vancouver's Point Atkinson winds have hit almost 120 km/h.
In Victoria, wind speeds passed 100 km/h and Race Rocks, at the entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait, recorded gusts of more than 150 km/h.
The storm is expected to strike the hardest on B.C.'s Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
B.C. Hydro spokesperson Elisha Moreno said Friday that hundreds of repair crews were ready to begin conducting full assessments of the latest damage.
She said that crews were starting to get some "storm fatigue,'' but that staff were required to take mandatory rest times so that they could work safely.
On Thursday, the utility warned tens of thousands of residents -- mostly on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the Gulf Islands -- to leave home until the electricity is restored.
Many of the 25,000 homes have been without power for several days and the utility said some may not be restored until Sunday -- but that was only if Friday's storm did little damage.
In Victoria, workers spent Thursday preparing for the storm by removing a third of the city's streetlight Christmas decorations.
"The ornaments were shaking so much during the last storm they smashed many of the globes from the lights," reported CTV Vancouver's Jim Beatty.
Workers also set up sand bags in case the heavy rain and winds led to flooding.
Meanwhile, construction crews have worked hard to prepare sites for possible wind damage.
The city has also warned residents to secure any objects in their yards that might be carried off by the wind.
In Port Alberni, the high winds will deal a further blow to residents already hit hard by a storm earlier this week -- especially the estimated 3,000 people still without power.
"I was born here and I've never seen anything like this before," said one man.
Many residents are still recovering from earlier flood damage, while several have yet to return to their homes.
"We've got a lot of people who are still not back in the houses where we had the flooding," said Mayor Ken McRae. "We had a couple hundred residences and commercial spaces that were flooded."
He added: "It's a tough situation. No doubt about it."
With reports from CTV Vancouver's Jim Beatty and David Kincaid
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