UPDATE: One person has died as a result of the storm. That story can be found here.

Original Story:

The B.C. coast was hammered by strong winds and rain on Wednesday which has resulted in downed trees and power outages for thousands.

At its peak, BC Hydro reported 135,000 people without power on both the Sunshine Coast and the Lower Mainland. The power went out for residents beginning around 3:00 a.m. and included Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, and Vancouver. The entire Lower Mainland experienced outages due to the windstorm and city crews spent the morning clearing downed trees and power lines.

Several accidents have been reported as a result of lights out at intersections and people avoiding debris on roads. Damage has been reported via social media to cars and homes, but there have not been any reports of injuries.

BC Hydro has crews out at locations all over the region but have no estimated time as to when power will be restored to customers. Weather warnings are still in effect for many coastal communities as very strong wind gusts are still expected to hit the coast. According to Environment Canada, wind gusts up to 90 km/hr are expected over Metro Vancouver and the western Fraser Valley. Winds will ease to 40 to 60 km/hr by late Thursday morning and then diminish by the afternoon.

Many schools are closed as a result of the power outages and parents are urged to check online or call their school district to find out if their child’s school is closed for the day.