FortisBC will be upgrading its transmission system in Summerland, resulting in two community-wide power outages.
The outages will last a total of 10 hours. They are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 15 from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and Friday, Oct. 22 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
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“As the only electrical feed to our community, maintenance of this transmission line is very important,” said Jeremy Storvold, Summerland’s director of utilities. “The outage will be community wide and FortisBC has committed to us that it will last six hours on Oct. 15 and four hours on Oct. 22. Our Summerland Electrical Crew will be participating in outage coordination efforts”.
The power outages will cause some interruptions to some water services and streetlights, he added.
Storvold said planned outages are a reminder for the community to increase their preparedness for extended power and water outages. Unplanned power outages can happen anytime and are often caused by freezing rain, sleet storms, high winds, animals and motor vehicle accidents.
Power outages can leave residents without heating or air conditioning, lighting, hot water or even running water. Phone and internet service may also be affected. Those without a battery-powered or crank radio will be unable to monitor news broadcasts during an extended outage.
The municipality urges people to prepare to cope during a power outage for at least three days.
Information on emergency preparation is available from the federal government at www.getprepared.gc.ca.
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