[SpongeG]

we lost our power on tfriday around 3:20 am - I was watching a movie on my computer and i had literally said to myself ok i need to get to bed in 2 minutes i will stop. Well one minute later the power went out and it was pitch black i couldn't see a thing - i live in a besement level apartment so its even darker than most - the power came back on within 20 seconds though - so i found my flashlight and some candles and thought in case it happens again...

so about three minutes later the power went out again and this time it didn't come back unitl 7 pm or so - so about 15+ hours without power, no hot water or heat either :( the hot water uses an electric pump :rolleyes:

i have also been without cable since friday - no idea when it will come back :( so i am totally cut off from the world it seems - no news, no internet (at work now)

quite a few tress in my area went down - passed one on friday that was lying on some lines with caution tape all around it - another street had a tree covering the whole width making it impassable - it stayed that way all friday - i think they finally got some cleared on saturday - but still only one car at a time can get through

visited my friend near commercial - lots of branches down on the side streets - some really huge ones too

anyone else lose power trees etc?

[Only The Lonely..]

^^^

I wonder if that has anything to do with the large solar flare that occured on Friday night? Or was this caused by a storm?


A solar flare, a violent explosion in the Sun's atmosphere, is hurtling past the Earth at over one million kilometres per hour -- offering up a potentially brilliant light show while threatening to damage power grids and communications systems.

Star gazers in Canada and across the northern U.S. could be treated to a spectacular light show called an aurora, or Northern Lights, as early as Thursday night.

. . .

[SpongeG]

some pics i found...

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/vasn/20061216/146066-51330.jpg


Andy Lui looks at his wrecked fence on Durant Drive in Coquitlam.
Photograph by : Bill Keay, Vancouver Sun

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/ntnp/20061216/ntnp_20061216_2_a006_thirdstorminawe_20600_mi0001.jpg
Angela Herrling of Victoria looks over the damage caused when a tree landed on her pickup truck yesterday.
Photograph by : Ray Smith, CanWest News Service

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/canwest/111/129772-45486.jpg
B.C. Hydro crews saw record demand as the fierce storm started blasting the coast shortly after 2 a.m.
Photograph by : CanWest News Service


http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2006/12/17/stanley-park-damage.jpg
An aerial view of Stanley Park shows the damage to trees.

(CBC)

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2006/12/17/stanley-park-logs.jpg
The worst damage to trees in Stanley Park was in the western half.

(CBC)

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/vapr/20061217/149428-52541.jpg
Carolyn Moon and her family consider themselves lucky because no one was injured when a Douglas fir split their house in two.

Photograph by : Les Bazso, The Province

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/canwest/22/121706storm.jpg
A fallen willlow lies over a pedestrian bridge in Stanley Park in Vancouver, B.C. on Friday December 15, 2006. Some people on B.C.'s south coast may not have power for days after the latest storm to hammer the region.

Photograph by : Canadian Press

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/vitc/20061217/149575-52590.jpg
Sooke firefighter Murray Lambert surveys damage in front of his duplex on Muir Place. More than a dozen large trees fell on the little street at the height of the storm.

Photograph by : Ray Smith, Times Colonist

[Only The Lonely..]

I guess it was storm related..

[SpongeG]

and the power grid is weird - we had no power yet the building across the street seemed to have power, lougheed mall had no power and apparently still has no power - sucks to be them so close to xmas, yet the stores across the street from the mall - sears outlet, extra foods etc. had power

than down at superstore on loughhed - they and silver city had power - but the superstore gas station, A&W, staples had no power

same with canadian tire, toys r us linens n things etc had no power but the IKEA had power

and driving into vancouver it seemed every other intersection had no lights - until lake city way - after that it was fine - east bound traffic though was backed up teh worst i have ever seen along lougheed - ot was backed up from university skytrain station to the lake city way station

[mr.x]

Stanley Park.......that's just depressing.

[SpongeG]

yeah

apparently the park is still closed to the public today, all the trails and the sewall are closed

[DLLB]

The building next to where my son lives in downtown Vancouver had about 15 windows blown out because of the storm.

[SpongeG]

http://web.bcnewsgroup.com/portals/uploads/tricity/.DIR288/TE1213_storm_1c_061213.jpg
Marilyn Steele, principal at R.C. MacDonald elementary school in Coquitlam, shows the effects of Monday’s wind storm, which blew down a large tree on the school grounds just before school got out.

[SpongeG]

http://web.bcnewsgroup.com/portals/uploads/burnaby/.DIR288/061216-Wind.jpg

Ming Hua Shang won't be going anywhere soon after the top half of a cedar tree crashed down on his car parked on Bonson St. in New Westminster during Friday morning's wind storm.

[crazyjoeda]

I didnt think the wind was that bad, it was really loud and my power went out for about 10hrs. But in the morning I looked around my area and there were broken branches and stuff but no major damage. I was surprised to hear about the park.

At least we faired better than Seattle I heard 7 people died.

[ReginaGuy]

when good trees go bad

[VanCityJ]

The building next to where my son lives in downtown Vancouver had about 15 windows blown out because of the storm.

I seriously thought our windows were going to be blown in or something was going to blow into them. You could actually see/feel the windows being bent inward from the wind!! Needless to say, I only got about 3 hrs of sleep that night.

[agrant]

My building was fine during the last storm. In the previous one (can't recall what day), the power was out for about an hour when I came home from work.

[The_Bachelor]

That's to bad about Stanley park taking so much damage and on Vancouver Island etc... when you think about how long it takes for it to return to normal and then decades for trees to regrow.

[mr.x]

it's worse:



Thousands of trees blown down in city jewel
Cleanup in aftermath of big blow could take years, park workers say


Glenda Luymes, The Province; with a file from Canadian Press
Published: Monday, December 18, 2006

The buzz of chainsaws drowned out squirrel chatter in Stanley Park yesterday as crews cleared trees toppled in Friday's devastating early morning windstorm.

But while the park's main roads are expected to be opened tonight, it could take months -- even years -- to complete the cleanup.

"The jewel of the city is damaged," said park worker Jess Coomes, gesturing at an ugly mass of tangled trees, branches and bushes near Prospect Point. The timber once hid an ocean view, but yesterday the water was clearly visible.

"It's heartbreaking," said Coomes. "I don't know if it will ever be the same. This used to be forest. Now it looks like a clearcut."

Thousands of trees -- some more than a century old and dating to the days of Lord Stanley himself -- were felled by the wind, which changed direction a number of times and brought gusts of more than 100 km/h.

The wild weather also caused a small landslide west of the Lions Gate Bridge, burying a small section of the seawall in mud and woody debris. "The damage is unbelievable," said park supervisor Eric Meaghre. "I've worked here 34 years and I've never seen anything like this -- not even close."

Veteran forestry worker John Martin said the blowdown sent the park back to "Square 1," adding: "The worst of it is, we were just starting to get the park in good shape. We'd taken out a lot of diseased trees and done all new plantings. Now we have to start all over."

About 40 workers helped with the cleanup yesterday, some cutting short vacations to lend a hand.

The crews' first priority is opening the park's access roads by clearing the fallen trees and testing standing trees to make sure they remain rooted. Once the roads are clear, workers will start to tackle the seawall and trails. The site of the small landslide needs to be analyzed before any work can proceed.

Vancouver parks board chairman Ian Robertson said the cleanup cost won't be known until January, but some of it could be recouped by giving logging companies contracts to clear the fallen timber.

He said logging "might be the most cost-effective way to manage the cleanup. We don't have a contingency fund for this type of damage."

After the eastern portion of the park was opened yesterday morning, park-goers were able to see the devastation for themselves.

"It's horrible, just a disaster," said Karen Doglioni as she collected fallen greenery to decorate her home for Christmas. "I thought just a few trees had fallen down, but this is really sad."

Coomes said park workers checked on the known squatters in Stanley Park and all were "OK."

- Hydro crews continued to work at restoring power to customers across B.C. yesterday. About 28,000 homes remained without power, compared with 77,000 just 12 hours earlier. About 250,000 homes were originally without power following Friday's storm.

gluymes@png.canwest.com

- - -

SHADES OF TYPHOON FREDA

Friday's windstorm has drawn comparisons to Typhoon Freda, a freak storm that sent trees crashing onto cars along the Stanley Park causeway in October 1962.

One woman was killed and 42 others were trapped as violent winds flung giant fir trees across the road, according to an old Province newspaper article. People left their cars and began to run for safety, while police and firefighters tried to restore order. The historic storm also led to widespread power failures and looting in damaged Vancouver shops.

Typhoon Freda cost about $750 million in damage -- about $5 billion in today's dollars.
© The Vancouver Province 2006

[mr.x]

it's worse:



Thousands of trees blown down in city jewel
Cleanup in aftermath of big blow could take years, park workers say


Glenda Luymes, The Province; with a file from Canadian Press
Published: Monday, December 18, 2006

The buzz of chainsaws drowned out squirrel chatter in Stanley Park yesterday as crews cleared trees toppled in Friday's devastating early morning windstorm.

But while the park's main roads are expected to be opened tonight, it could take months -- even years -- to complete the cleanup.

"The jewel of the city is damaged," said park worker Jess Coomes, gesturing at an ugly mass of tangled trees, branches and bushes near Prospect Point. The timber once hid an ocean view, but yesterday the water was clearly visible.

"It's heartbreaking," said Coomes. "I don't know if it will ever be the same. This used to be forest. Now it looks like a clearcut."

Thousands of trees -- some more than a century old and dating to the days of Lord Stanley himself -- were felled by the wind, which changed direction a number of times and brought gusts of more than 100 km/h.

The wild weather also caused a small landslide west of the Lions Gate Bridge, burying a small section of the seawall in mud and woody debris. "The damage is unbelievable," said park supervisor Eric Meaghre. "I've worked here 34 years and I've never seen anything like this -- not even close."

Veteran forestry worker John Martin said the blowdown sent the park back to "Square 1," adding: "The worst of it is, we were just starting to get the park in good shape. We'd taken out a lot of diseased trees and done all new plantings. Now we have to start all over."

About 40 workers helped with the cleanup yesterday, some cutting short vacations to lend a hand.

The crews' first priority is opening the park's access roads by clearing the fallen trees and testing standing trees to make sure they remain rooted. Once the roads are clear, workers will start to tackle the seawall and trails. The site of the small landslide needs to be analyzed before any work can proceed.

Vancouver parks board chairman Ian Robertson said the cleanup cost won't be known until January, but some of it could be recouped by giving logging companies contracts to clear the fallen timber.

He said logging "might be the most cost-effective way to manage the cleanup. We don't have a contingency fund for this type of damage."

After the eastern portion of the park was opened yesterday morning, park-goers were able to see the devastation for themselves.

"It's horrible, just a disaster," said Karen Doglioni as she collected fallen greenery to decorate her home for Christmas. "I thought just a few trees had fallen down, but this is really sad."

Coomes said park workers checked on the known squatters in Stanley Park and all were "OK."

- Hydro crews continued to work at restoring power to customers across B.C. yesterday. About 28,000 homes remained without power, compared with 77,000 just 12 hours earlier. About 250,000 homes were originally without power following Friday's storm.

gluymes@png.canwest.com

- - -

SHADES OF TYPHOON FREDA

Friday's windstorm has drawn comparisons to Typhoon Freda, a freak storm that sent trees crashing onto cars along the Stanley Park causeway in October 1962.

One woman was killed and 42 others were trapped as violent winds flung giant fir trees across the road, according to an old Province newspaper article. People left their cars and began to run for safety, while police and firefighters tried to restore order. The historic storm also led to widespread power failures and looting in damaged Vancouver shops.

Typhoon Freda cost about $750 million in damage -- about $5 billion in today's dollars.
© The Vancouver Province 2006

[NightHawk]

I didnt think the wind was that bad, it was really loud and my power went out for about 10hrs. But in the morning I looked around my area and there were broken branches and stuff but no major damage. I was surprised to hear about the park.

At least we faired better than Seattle I heard 7 people died.

That's no good. Unfortunetly we didn't survive the storm without trajedy either.

Burnaby couple dies from carbon monoxide poisoning
December 18, 2006 - 5:18 am
By: John Streit








DELTA (NEWS1130) - A 66-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman have been found dead in their North Burnaby home. Burnaby RCMP say the cause of death is carbon monoxide poisoning. Officers located a gasoline-powered generator inside the home, which they had been running due to the recent power outages. All of the windows and doors to the house were closed.

Police warn generators produce toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, and should be kept outside in a well-ventilated area where the exhaust can’t enter your home. The names of the deceased have not been released.

[SpongeG]

yeah heard about them - sad - how they didn't know not to keep the generator outdoors is odd

[cornholio]

yeah heard about them - sad - how they didn't know not to keep the generator outdoors is odd

Thats nature working for you. See just because people are inteligent and can manipulate nature in many ways doesnt mean that they can stop evolving and eliminating bad genetic material from our gene pool.
Survival of the fitest, or in our case survival of the smartest.

I actualy had a great time watching the windstorm since I sat on my front portch for about a hour or two just watching the wind work its magic. The lightning was neat too.

[agrant]

"Survival of the fitest, or in our case survival of the smartest."
<<<< Or maybe we're just too dumb to think of buying a generator in the first place. :dunce:

[mr.x]

Southeast Winds 60 To 90 Km/h Will Develop Over Regions From Northern Vancouver Island Northward Beginning Early This Evening. Southeast Winds Of 50 To 80 Km/h Will Develop Across West Vancouver Island East Vancouver Island And The Sunshine Coast Wednesday Morning And Extend Across The Remainder Of The South Coast Wednesday Afternoon And Evening. Gusty Southwesterly Winds Of 50 To 80 Km/h Are Also Expected To Develop Early Thursday Morning Over Greater Victoria Southern Gulf Islands Greater Vancouver And The Fraser Valley. This Is A Warning That Damaging Winds Are Imminent Or Occurring In These Regions. Monitor Weather Conditions..listen For Updated Statements.

[excel]

Intense photos.

[westvan1]

Vancouver Heights and North Burnaby got hammered pretty good, probably because it's on a higher elevation than East Van. Our power was out from 3:00 am to about 8:00pm friday - we were lucky after reading about eastern parts of Bby. Lots of trees and limbs down all over the neighbourhood - quite a mess. Some damaged roofs. What surprises me is how shallow the root system is on those big evergreens.

[Nutterbug]

Out of power for about 36 hours. Had to do overnight without heat or light.

I suppose it could have been much worse.

[SpongeG]

storm is suppossed to hit tonight - but winds will be slightly less than they were on friday

[Canadian Mind]

i dunno, its already brought a couple more trees down up here in Fanny Bay, and this isn't even suppost to be the worst of tonights storm.

[SpongeG]

wow

nothing going on here (burnaby) yet that i can tell

[Canadian Mind]

where is it coming from? cause if its from the couthwest should have struck us both at the same time.

[mr.x]

where is it coming from? cause if its from the couthwest should have struck us both at the same time.

It will be like last week's storm, which arrived at my house as a surprise (it went from still to freight train noise within 5 seconds). It's forecasted to come sometime this evening and into Thursday morning (again, like the last storm) with winds of between 50-80 km/h.

[SpongeG]

still nothing :(

i want to go home early and sit in the dark

[Lead]

After that last storm ended I think it was the next night I looked outside and it was snowing a little but to my utter astonishment I saw a flash of lightning and some thunder. I didn't know there could be lightning/thunder while it's snowing, I've never even heard of that.

[Mike K.]

Victoria's being hit pretty hard again. I imagine lots of trees weakened by previous storms will come down overnight.

[SpongeG]

thats happenned before - the thunder lightning and snow

i miss the storms we used to get up north in the summer - electrical storms where there is no rain - just a feeling of energy and thunder and lightning

[SpongeG]

Mother Nature unforgiving, blasting B.C.'s south coast again
December 20, 2006 - 8:43 pm

VANCOUVER (CP) - Bruised and battered from earlier storms, the British Columbia coast is under attack yet again from another blast from the Pacific.

Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for the entire coast, from Victoria to the Queen Charlotte Islands. By early Wednesday evening, winds of up to 84 kilometres per hour were already gusting across Vancouver Island. "It's howling out there," said a worker at Campbell River airport.

"I'm listening to the scanner, and there are trees down and all kinds of damage." Flights were still making their way into the airport, thought it's a "rough ride," said flight services.

At Salmon Point Restaurant and Bar in Campbell River, worker Mary Cunningham said the storm was already much worse than the earlier havoc caused by high winds last week.

"You walk to your car and you're soaked," she said. "It's blowing quite crazily."

Gusty southwest winds of 50 to 80 kilometres an hour are expected to develop Thursday morning over Victoria, the southern Gulf Islands, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

High winds had already knocked the power out for about 800 customers on Vancouver Island late Wednesday, with another 2000 still in the dark still in the dark from last Friday's monster storm that blacked out 250,000 homes at its peak.

At least 3,000 trees fell in Stanley Park during the storm.

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan got a look at the damage to the park Wednesday.

"I think it's the equivalent of loading up stones from St. Peter's Basilica into a dump truck," Sullivan said as he surveyed the groves of trees flattened by the storm.

"Now that I see these beautiful sights that all of us have accepted as icons of the city, it's a real blow."

The park board estimates clean-up will cost millions of dollars.

They are considering making a deal with a private logging company to help clear the forest and has set up a meeting with the chief forester from Interfor on Thursday.

http://www.news1130.com/news/national/article.jsp?content=n122079A

[Canadian Mind]

so basically the island is getting raped the afternoon before the storm was suppost to happen? like last week? fun stuff.

[SpongeG]

seems that way

could be a bumpy night for us
will have to remember to sleep with the flashlight and set the alarm on my phone

[Canadian Mind]

yea, we got raped last night. thought it was windy when i was posting, then at 1 oclock in the morning BAM! shook the house enough that furniture fell over, that lasted for about 2 and a half hours.

I'm suprised the power never went out.

[cornholio]

There is a big storm brewing for christmas eve/day from what I hear though its imposibel to judge its future streghth right now. But from what I heared its got potential to be one of the biger ones, or even bigest one this year...guess we will have to wait and see though.

[SpongeG]

yeah i heard that too on the news this morning

we got nothing last night

sounds like the island and fraser valley got it the worst

[The Great Scaper]

Victoria got hit hard again tonight!!! Wow crazy amount of storms!!!

[SpongeG]

yah i saw on the news

a house in west van had a tree crash and granville street at 39th had a tree pretty much across it - it was laying on the lines