December 19, 1990 Classifieds 986-6222 Office, Editorial 985-2131 Display Advertising 980-0511 Distribution 986-1337 WEDNESDAY Norris gives tales a 90s punch North Shore Now: 25 64 pages 25¢ 30,000 without power Wind orm leaves N. Shore in the dark | THE NORTH Shore was hit Monday night with the brunt of a vicious winter wind storm that left an estimated 30.000 North Shore homes without heat and light for periods rang- ing over 16 hours. By Surj Rattan News Reporter The storm. packing gale-force winds, roared through the Lower Mainland, hammering trees and branches onto B.C. Hydro lines, houses and roads. it also resulted in some North Shore school closures and forced at least one North Vancouver shopping mall to close early to Christmas shoppers. A spokesman for the Pacific Weather Centre in Vancouver said the storm’s winds were gusting up to 76 kph in the Vancouver area at 8 p.m. Monday when weather equipment at the Vancouver In- ternational Airport broke down. “With the reports I’ve heard, I'm sure it was a lot stronger than that,”’ said the spokesman. B.C. Hydro senior communica- tions co-ordinator, Verne Prior, said between 50,000 and 60,000 Hydro customers in the Lower 44 The problem was weather-related caused by trees or tree branches falling onto the lines... These (Hydro) rights of way must be maintained to avoid these kinds of problems. 99 — B.C. Hydro senior communications co-ordinator Verne Prior near Hydro lines. “The problem was weather- related caused by trees or tree branches falling onto the fines. Hydro is very concerned about this. This points out the need for tree trimming,’’ said = Prior. “These (Hydro) rights of way must be maintained to avoid these kinds of problems.” Power outages during several massive snow storms that struck MORE STORM COVERAGE: SEE PAGE 3 Mainland lost power when 30 ma- jor circuits were knocked out of service at once. About half of those Hydro customers were on the North Shore, he said. “We had a widespread outage from the Sunshine Coast all the way down the valley into the Ab- botsford area,’ Prior said. ‘The major problems were in North and West Vancouver.”’ Prior said it would take Hydro crews, who worked around the clock Monday and Tuesday, until at feast noon Tuesday to restore power, but to press time Tuesday afternoon with heavy snow fall- mg, power to many areas of the North Shore had