A family from Abbotsford, BC, wants answers from BC Hydro, after the power company cut power to their Sumas Prairie home amid attempts to restore the property from flood damage.
The Sansalones are among the luckiest families allowed to return to their property shortly after the floodwaters receded.
They have basically been rebuilding the house from the inside out, due to the significant water damage.
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Power was never cut off at the property during the floods, and they have been using it since their return to run power tools and equipment for repairs.
That was until Thursday morning, when Kelly Sansalone showed up to get back to work and found the house disconnected.
“They just showed up unannounced at the end of the day. We were here until 4, 4:30 am last night working, and they came after that and cut our power without even contacting us, or telling us or giving us a chance, ”he said.
Sansalone says that an electrician had already been on the site and signed as insurance for any safety issues, and that the contractors have been working on the site for weeks with no problems.
Later Thursday, as the Sansalones were trying to solve the problem in their own home, a team from BC Hydro arrived at Kelly’s parents’ home with plans to cut the power there as well.
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The teams left when Global News arrived at the scene.
BC Hydro spokeswoman Susie Rieder said she could not explain the exact reason the Sansalone home was disconnected, but said there was no record on file of an electrician considering the property safe.
She said BC Hydro teams have been working methodically in the area now that the floods had receded far enough and they have been forced to cut power to several homes where there was significant damage or safety hazards.
“We have teams on the ground who go essentially door-to-door, inspecting and making sure things are secure. The conclusion is that in this case they must have discovered something that was not safe and that was a danger for this house and, in that case, they had to disconnect the power, “he said.
“We are working as quickly as possible and our teams apologize for any inconvenience. I mean, these people in this community have been through a lot. We understand that it is devastating. “
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Sansalone said he understands the need to cut the power supply if there is a security problem, but that does not explain the lack of communication from the power supply.
“They are making a bad situation worse, people are trying to rebuild their lives,” he said. “And having hydro power shut off its power in the middle of that is so annoying.”
Reider said that if an electrician inspects the property and contacts BC Hydro, the company will restore power “within hours.”
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