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One person trapped on damaged pier in White Rock, B.C., hoisted to safety

Dec 20, 2018 | 3:15 PM

VANCOUVER — A person who was stranded on a pier in White Rock, B.C., has been rescued after part of the structure collapsed in strong winds.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria says on Twitter one of its helicopters successfully hoisted the person to safety.

Parts of southern British Columbia were hit by a powerful wind storm today that left thousands of BC Hydro customers without power on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast.

BC Hydro says about 330,000 customers late Thursday afternoon didn’t have electricity on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and on the Sunshine Coast.

Environment Canada issued a wind warning for those areas saying a powerful low pressure system was sweeping into the B.C. coast, bringing winds in the range of 70 to 90 km/h with gusts up to 100 km/h.

The winds also prompted cancellations or delays at BC Ferries for sailings between Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay, Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen to Duke Point and Tsawwassen to the Southern Gulf Islands.

Rainfall warnings were posted for Howe Sound, the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon, with Environment Canada saying 50 millimetres could drench those regions by Friday.

Snowfall or winter storm warnings were also up for mountain passes to and from the Interior with Environment Canada advising of rapidly accumulating snow on sections of a number of highways including the Sea-to-Sky, Coquihalla, Highway 3 and Highway 1 between Eagle Pass and Rogers Pass.

The Canadian Press