Oh, Canada! Howling winds tear across Vancouver By Jennifer Harrison

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On Dec. 14, I woke up at around 3 a.m. to a weird sound. It was a collection of bangings and howlings, and it didn't take me long to discover that the noise was the wind. Since moving to Vancouver in August, I have learned that the city is rainy and breezy, but nothing prepared me for the scene outside my window.

I put on my glasses and opened the blinds. The yachts that are moored in the water about three blocks down from my building were tossing back and forth in the usually very calm water. The Christmas lights that are strung from the boat's masts were whipping around in the dark.

Garbage cans and papers were flying down the streets and through the air, and an enormous crane that is being used for the building across the street was actually bending with the force of the wind. There were branches and tree limbs littering the park across the street, and there were a lot of lights on in the buildings nearby; I wasn't the only one staring out the window at the windstorm happening around us.

4When the sun rose it was a cold bright day, and the television showed us scenes of the wind's destruction that we couldn't see from our building. It was reported that 150,000 homes had lost power because of trees falling on power lines, and now, three days later, some homes are still without power. The wind had done damage all over the lower mainland of the province.

One area had most of its public schools closed due to power outages. The University of British Columbia cancelled all exams scheduled on that day because it was also without power. The beautiful Stanley Park in the city lost many old trees, some estimated to be over 400 years old. The seawall (a paved trail that follows the seashore and is elevated about 1.2 meters from the water) was pummeled with strong waves, with several areas damaged by the strength of the storm.

I left for work in the morning and was amazed at the number of trees down. I even saw a city bus half-crushed by a fallen tree, and several neighborhood streets were completely blocked by more trees that had come down.

That evening, the news reported that the facade of a building had been ripped off during the storm, and innumerable cars had been crushed by falling trees. A family had nearly lost their children when a huge pine fell onto their house, splitting it in two. Luckily, the family had all gone into the living room to watch the storm and nobody was hurt. Some people witnessed flood damage in areas where new residential developments have removed too many trees, resulting in poor drainage of rain runoff.

After seeing the news reports, my boyfriend and I decided to take a bike ride down to the water to check things out firsthand. It was pretty cold for biking, and the wind was still very strong at the water.

Evidence of violent waves was everywhere: The ground was soaked and littered with bricks and logs. People walking their dogs had stopped beside an uprooted tree that covered much of the grass by the beach. News reporters were taking photographs of the poor tree that was pushed over by the wind. We biked home with the wind at our backs, still amazed at the power of Mother Nature.

But to me, the most surprising part of the windstorm was that it wasn't even a record-breaking event. It was the fourth-strongest storm in 45 years. The winds gusted up to 96 kph, with sustained winds clocking in at 81 kph. However, a storm exactly one year ago brought with it winds that were 80 kph. It has been reported that an average Vancouver winter usually includes eight severe windstorms.

Back in Toronto, we very rarely have windstorms. Usually at this time of the year, the temperature hovers around zero, and we suffer through lots of wet snow, freezing rain and the occasional beautiful snowy day. But while the temperature here has been unseasonably cool, news reports show pictures of Toronto experiencing temperatures close to 20 C, with some flowers even sprouting out again as if it were spring.

All the rotten weather here in Vancouver does have one seriously good side, however. The rain that seems to fall constantly turns into snow at higher elevations, where the air is cooler. From my apartment window, I have a lovely view of the three ski hills close to the city. Whistler is only an hour away, and they are reporting wonderful conditions. I'm looking forward to skiing in the New Year, as long as I don't get blown right off the mountain.

Shukan ST: Dec. 28, 2001

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