BC Hydro says there are currently 128 customers in Merritt, south of Nicola Avenue, who remain without power.

Spokesperson Dag Sharman says it will stay that way until crews know it is safe to restore power to those homes as they’ve been damaged by floods.

“So an electrical contractor who is licensed can advise BC Hydro that the property is safe and then we are able to re-power those properties. That is something that we can do quite quickly once everything is determined to be safe,” he said.

Speaking Wednesday afternoon, Sharman says there was no significant damage to BC Hydro infrastructure in Merritt. However, he says there were a number of power outages last week.

“Initially they were required to ensure that first responders who were dealing with floods could do so safely,” Sharman added. “And then working with first responders, we did start to re-energize those lines where we could ensure it was safe and so we’ve been doing that.”

Sharman says customers who were affected by the evacuation order that is five days or longer are eligible to get a credit for any electricity consumed during that time. He also says BC Hydro also offers flexible bill payment plans to people when they are allowed to return back.

Meanwhile, for people whose property was damaged by a natural disaster, he says Hydro will waive all electricity charges since the previous billing period, including for any electricity used prior to the evacuation order.

“Waiving these charges means you won’t receive a final bill for the account,’ Hydro said, in a statement.

“BC Hydro proactively monitors evacuation areas where properties were lost so there’s no need to call BC Hydro to report. BC Hydro will also waive the electricity service connection charge for any residential customer that rebuilds their home, if it’s not paid for by insurance.”

People with questions are being told to contact BC Hydro at 1-800-224-9376.