The Tri-Cities took a beating Thursday when high winds took out trees, knocking down power lines and closing roads.
Today, Leigh elementary school in Coquitlam is closed, with parents asked to keep their kids home until power is restored.
Wind picked up at various times though out the afternoon, reaching between 70 and 80kph in some areas.
Among the road closures were Heritage Mountain Boulevard in Port Moody and Pitt River Road in Port Coquitlam, according to police reports, and at one time as many as seven School District 43 schools were without power.
One of the most startling events occurred at a home on Lansdowne Drive in Coquitlam, when a five metre cedar tree blew into the back yard of a home.
“We don’t know where it came from,” said Majid Valad, who said his son, a university student, witnessed the tree blow in the yard, just missing the back of the house. “I could have put a light on it and it would have been our Christmas tree,” Valad joked.
Valad spent much of the afternoon bucking up the tree for firewood and hopes the city of Coquitlam will take away the branches.
“It’s too much for me to get rid of,” said Valad, pointing to the large pile of debris and branches.
As of Friday morning, there were still some areas in the Tri-Cities that were without power, including the neighborhood around Leigh elementary.
BC Hydro has reported that all crews are out repairing the damage from Thursday’s storm.
As of 10 a.m., there were still 60,252 Lower Mainland customers without power.
