Twelve FortisBC line technicians and two operations supervisors are approaching 10 days in Prince Edward Island as they continue to assist with hurricane recovery.
The crews arrived on The Gentle Island on Sunday, Oct. 2 to help restore power to customers who lost power during Hurricane Fiona.
Maritime Electric put out a call for help across Canada due to the significant damage and FortisBC responded.
“Our thoughts are with all those on the east coast and our colleagues at Maritime Electric as they deal with the aftermath of this storm,” said Shawn Conway, director of operations with FortisBC.
“Our crews have extensive experience repairing damage from extreme storms on our own electric infrastructure and we’re glad to be of service.”
The FortisBC operation supervisors are leading large crews of power line technicians, pole setters and utility-certified arborists from New Brunswick to clear trees and repair lines along the coast.
Power line technicians from Kelowna are working directly with Maritime Electric crews to repair main transmission lines.
Crews from the Kootenays and South Okanagan are working east of Charlottetown to bring power back to pockets of customers once higher voltage lines are back in service.
John Radies, a FortisBC operation supervisor, said that he’s seen a lot during his career, but it’s shocking to witness the extensive damage from Fiona.
He noted that countless trees have been ripped from the ground, RVs are flipped on their sides and roofs have been torn off houses.
“Every line seems to have a tree on it. The people of PEI just went through a surreal event and have been without power for days,” he explained.
“It gives you a very good feeling to see the smiles on faces when you show up to repair power in their neighborhood, then even a bigger sense of gratification when you restore power and know you just made someone’s day.”
The last time FortisBC crews have been called in to assist outside provincial borders was when Hurricane Irma ravaged the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2017.
They’re expected to remain in PEI until the end of this week.
