B.C. Hydro is cutting power to thousands. Here's how to prepare your phones, fridge and more

Get ready to spend the night in the dark — with no electricity available to bring the light.

That's the message coming from B.C. Hydro to thousands of customers being affected by overnight power outages scheduled around the province in the days and weeks ahead.

The largest is in Prince George, where approximately 15,000 customers have been warned they will be without power starting at 7 p.m. Sunday night, with restoration scheduled for 5 a.m. Monday morning.

But similar overnight or long-term outages are also planned, or have already taken place, in Port Alberni, Bella Coola and portions of the Lower Mainland.

And with outages related to extreme weather becoming more frequent, officials say a planned outage is a good time to make sure you have everything on hand to be ready in the case of an emergency.

Why are the outages happening?

These planned outages occur regularly, B.C. Hydro spokesperson Mike Kellett said, but the size and scale of the outage in Prince George, in particular, has caught people's attention, as a large portion of the city is being told to prepare for 10 hours without any electricity.

"It's a fairly important operation as these things go," he said. "We have some local electrical infrastructure that is basically at the end of its life and at pretty significant risk of failing, which would, if it happened randomly, would result in quite a long and extended outage for customers."

Since the outage is taking place already, he said, Hydro crews will also be taking on some other routine maintenance, such as power pole replacement, at the same time.

Kellett said that crews are preparing now to fix and replace the equipment so it can be done as quickly as possible, and Sunday night has been selected because it tends to have the lowest power use overall.

"We'll have crews working as fast as they safely can to restore power," he said.

B.C. Hydro averages around 7,000 planned outages a year, but generally, they are smaller and less lengthy, so putting 15,000 people in the dark for up to 10 hours "is really just indicative of how critical" this weekend's operation is, Kellett said.

"We understand that there's never a good time for an outage," he said. "But for any outage we undertake, it's absolutely critical."

How to prepare for an outage

B.C. Hydro has been contacting affected customers, urging them to unplug or protect any sensitive equipment.

Kellett also suggested they charge phones and battery packs, make sure they have working flashlights or headlamps and keep warm blankets on hand as temperatures are set to dip below freezing overnight.

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With severe weather becoming more frequent, keeping an emergency kit with non-perishable food, water, first aid items and copies of important documents can come in handy.

It's also recommended phones have their battery usage lowered by turning off background apps or location services when not needed.

During an extended outage, fridge and freezer doors should remain closed. Government of Canada health guidelines state that a full freezer can keep food frozen for about 48 hours, a half-full freezer can do so for 24 hours, and an unopened refrigerator can keep food cold for about four hours.

Barbecues and camp stoves should never be used indoors, and LED candles or light sources are recommended to reduce the risk of fire. Real candles should never be left unattended and should be kept out of the reach of children and animals.

Once power is restored, it is recommended to avoid turning everything on at once — especially heating systems and large appliances. 

Food should be checked over, and anything that has been at room temperature for two hours or more is recommended to be thrown away.

B.C. Hydro and emergency officials also recommend all households be prepared at all times for unplanned outages that can last up to 48 hours. They have created an emergency kit and planning checklist to help people be ready.

LISTEN | Advice for dealing with long outages from one of B.C.'s most storm-prone communities: 

18:23Secrets of living with long power outages

With storm season underway, more than 150,000 BC Hydro customers in the Island region have already lost power at some point. So we head to a place where long outages are the norm in winter, to get some tips on how to deal with them. (Here’s a hint: the words “community” and “coffee” come up a lot.)