It started with a “bang,” “boom” or “kaboom,” depending on who you ask.
Regardless of word choice, many in North Vancouver’s Pemberton Heights neighbourhood all report a loud sound before the power went out during a powerful rain- and wind-storm that hit Nov. 4.
All went dark for around six or seven hours, a shared experience for thousands of homes across the region. But when the lights came back on, people in Pemberton Heights started noticing that numerous appliances weren’t reactivating.
Fridges, stoves, microwaves, coffee makers, ice machines and overhead exhaust fans were all dead, leaving residents to come up with creative solutions on how to store groceries and cook meals, and business owners scrambling to make quick fixes to serve their customers.
According to District of North Vancouver Coun. Herman Mah, who also lives in the neighbourhood, at least 33 homes experienced a “massive surge” on Nov. 4.
Related damages are estimated to be around $300,000, he said.
As they replace damaged items, and contact their insurance providers, people affected by the apparent surge event have been reaching out to BC Hydro for information and answers. But many of them say they’ve yet to hear much from the utility provider.
Economic damage to local business 'huge,' owner says
On the day of the outage, it was Ines Diaz’s first day as the new operator of The Corner Stone Bistro, a popular Pemberton Heights business.
“Suddenly we heard a big boom, because the transformer is a block from us, and it exploded,” she said.
When Diaz came in the next day to open, several appliances weren’t turning back on.
“For example, we have a walk-in fridge because we are a restaurant … and the motor fried,” she said. “Half of the restaurant didn’t have lights, our Italian espresso machine was also fried, and the ice machine, a couple of blenders – a lot of stuff.”
That meant Diaz had to spend thousands of dollars in emergency repairs to keep her business running, while running groceries back and forth from her home so they wouldn’t perish.
Economically, the impact on her business has been “huge,” she said.
“We were changing the menu, and we couldn’t do anything last week until we got all sorted out with the repairs,” Diaz said. “We had to spend probably five to six grand, and we still have to repair the ice machine.”
As for insurance, Diaz’s situation is complicated because she rents the space. BC Hydro will only go through the business owner, who has been on vacation.
“BC Hydro told me that because I am not in the contract, and the contract is under the landlord,” she said. “I couldn’t do anything, make a claim or anything.”
So Diaz will have to wait until the building owner returns in the coming days to figure out what will be covered by insurance, and what will come out of her pocket.
Meanwhile, she said that customers have been understanding that some of the menu items haven’t been on offer, and have been supportive of the shop.
“They told me, if we need anything, they are here to help,” Diaz said. “It’s good support.”
Residents wonder if new substation involved. BC Hydro says no
During his 48 years living in the area, Elwin Evans said he’d never experienced anything like this before.
Evans said his dishwasher, cooktop and even gas furnace stopped working after the storm.
The homeowner said he’s asked BC Hydro for information that he needs to give to his insurance company.
“So far I haven’t heard back from BC Hydro,” he said. “Things are not progressing at all until my insurance company gets information indicating that indeed there was a power surge in our area, especially in my house.”
Another longtime resident Darlene Anderson said she’s facing upwards of $8,000 in repairs to her home appliances, and she’s heard similar stories from her neighbours.
“Every time I walk around the block now there are cable trucks, appliance trucks and electrical trucks, because everybody is getting things fixed,” she said.
While she’s used to fairly regular power outages in the forested community, service had been steady since the new Capilano Substation was energized in April.
“Something went really wrong,” Anderson said. “My electrician, he talked in electrical speech and said, ‘240-volt power goes through a 120-volt line and it can’t handle it, and that’s why it randomly kills [appliances].”
Mah also wondered if the new substation could be a factor.
“Could this increased capacity have anything to do with the massive surge that was experienced by the homes in Pemberton Heights?” he asked.
But BC Hydro spokesperson Mora Scott said the substation is not related to the outage event on Nov. 4. Staff with the utility provider looked into what damaged the transformer near the affected properties.
“As for the cause, it appears it was trees contacting our lines,” Scott said. “To confirm, it was not related to the new substation.”
Scott said BC Hydro has heard from a handful of customers in Pemberton Heights through its claims process.
“Our claims team is actively working with them,” Scott said.
But the people with fried appliances have expressed doubt that BC Hydro will provide compensation.
On the claims page of its website, BC Hydro states that it won’t compensate for damaged appliances when power interruptions are caused by an act of nature, like fallen branches, or when there are voltage or power irregularities.
“I don’t think that they are going to do anything at all,” Diaz said.
Instead, she wants to see investment to stop incidents like this happening in the future.
“They should invest in neighbourhoods like this one, that have a lot of trees, in putting all the cables underground so that it doesn’t happen again,” Diaz said.
It will be a challenge to continue running her new business if she has to keep fixing fridges and ice machines.
“I think [BC Hydro] should care a little bit about the neighbourhood, and try to do something, not just saying that, ‘Oh, it was the wind. It’s not us,’” Diaz said.
