B.C. Hydro reviewing comms plan after 10-hour planned outage doesn't materialize, prompting confusion

B.C. Hydro says it is reviewing its communication around major planned power outages after a confusing night for some residents in Prince George.

For weeks, people in the city had been getting phone calls and emails from the power provider warning that critical work being done on equipment at risk of failure would impact approximately 15,000 customers, cutting electricity from 7 p.m. PT March 30 until 5 a.m. PT March 31.

Those affected were warned to unplug major appliances, make sure they had blankets and otherwise prepare for a night of darkness.

And then, for many, nothing happened.

Outage lasted 20 minutes — or not at all

Chantel Chavez had spent her day preparing her family, which includes two toddlers.

"We rushed to eat, have baths," she said.

Perishable food was transferred, lanterns were in place, and her husband was prepared to spend the night sleeping on the floor near their youngest because the baby monitor wouldn't be working.

"It was a lot," she said.

But in the end, power to her neighbourhood was cut out for less than half an hour — which she would have welcomed,  except there was no indication the work had been completed.

"I went to the [B.C. Hydro outages] website, and it still said 'no power overnight,'" she said. "So we thought it was still coming."

Elsewhere, businesses had closed early after being told they wouldn't be able to operate. Restaurants and some individuals had generators running to make sure food would stay safe to eat, following public health advice, but the lights stayed on, prompting many to wonder if the work had even taken place or was simply rescheduled for another day.

In an email to CBC News, B.C. Hydro spokesperson Mike Kellett confirmed the planned work had been completed and acknowledged the discrepancy between what was communicated in advance and what actually took place. 

He said due to the size and complexity of the outage there were many "overlapping operations" that resulted in "blanket notifications" being set out to every region that was potentially impacted.

Chavez says she doesn't mind that the outage never materialized as advertised, but she's confused about why B.C. Hydro didn't provide updates rather than leave people like her in limbo.

Others expressed similar confusion, taking to social media to try to figure out what had taken place.

"Why not just update the website?" Chavez wondered.

"We understand this led to some confusion, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused," Kellett wrote. "We're reviewing our processes to improve the customer experience for future outages of this scale."

Darkness on the edge of town

The longer outage did materialize in some places, including the Hart neighbourhood on the northern edge of the city. There power was cut, as planned, for nearly the entire 10 hour window, making for a little stargazing on a clear night.

"It was quite nice, actually," said Bev Schreiner. "We played games. Without power, people have to talk to each other."

Chavez said in the end the preparations she made, such as buying indoor lanterns and making sure they had enough warmth to last a night without power is probably a good thing, should an emergency happen.

"But don't ask me to do it again," she joked.