BC Hydro is urging British Columbians to get storm-ready, warning that a La Niña weather pattern and lingering drought could make this season one of the most volatile in years.
The utility says a new survey shows a generational gap in preparedness: while most residents aged 35 to 54 have emergency kits ready, more than half of 18- to 34-year-olds do not — despite acknowledging storms are becoming more frequent.
“Even with the unprecedented surge, our crews responded faster than ever. But with La Niña expected to intensify storm activity this fall and winter – on top of the effects of multi-year drought – it’s more important than ever for British Columbians to be prepared,” said BC Hydro spokesperson Susie Rieder.
In 2024, weather caused outages for more than 1.4 million BC Hydro customers, the highest number of outages on record for a single year. Drought-weakened trees and branches, a leading cause of outages, remain a concern this year.
Among younger adults who responded to the survey, cost and uncertainty about where to start were stated as the main reasons for not preparing, while some who built kits in the past say they never used them.
Yet their top concern during an outage is staying connected, highlighting the importance of backup power and communication plans.
BC Hydro says it has ramped up its own storm readiness with:
$150 million in vegetation management, tripling the budget to clear weakened trees.
Smarter outage tracking through real-time data from smart meters.
Strategic crew pre-deployment to speed response times.
Advanced forecasting tools to better predict impacts.
Improved communication, including upgrades to its mobile site.
The utility advises all customers to keep an emergency kit with 72 hours of supplies and to visit BC Hydro’s outages site for updates if the power does go out.
More preparedness tips are available on BC Hydro’s website.
.