Tag: flooding

BC Urges Residents to Stay Vigilant as More Storms Expected in Hard-Hit Areas

The B.C. government is urging residents to stay vigilant as more storms are expected to hit the province’s south coast, including the hard-hit Fraser Valley in the coming days. “We are expecting another rain event this Wednesday through Friday, and a series of further storms are expected in the coming weeks,” said Public Safety Minister…


Some BC Evacuees to Be Allowed to Return Home, Key Railway Corridor to Reopen

Some evacuees set to return home today and a key railway corridor expected to reopen following record rainfall in B.C. that caused flooding and triggered mudslides. A week after the entire city of Merritt, B.C. was forced to evacuate when the Coldwater River flooded into the community of about 7,000, officials announced the first phase…


BC Mudslide Victim Identified as Rugby Player Originally From Calgary

CALGARY—Last Monday, as flooding and mudslides ravaged British Columbia, Dean Hopkins got a distraught call from his close friend’s wife, saying her husband was missing. That phone call kicked off several stress−filled days for Hopkins, which ended in tragedy when his old rugby buddy Steven Taylor was confirmed dead. Taylor moved to B.C. from Calgary…


More Storms and Downpours to Hit BC: Province Warns Residents to Get Prepared

British Columbians are being warned to brace themselves for more “heavy rain, strong winds, and freezing temperatures” that will hit the province’s north and south coasts over the weekend, lasting until Tuesday, Nov. 23. “Environment Canada has issued a new winter storm advisory for the north coast, and we’re expecting heavy precipitation and wind. The…


‘We Lost Everything’: Many Residents in Princeton, BC Still Digging out From Flood

PRINCETON, BRITISH COLUMBIA—Mario Loutef had little sleep the four days leading up to Saturday, when he piled his ruined belongings in the street outside his home in Princeton, B.C. A vast swath of the downtown in the community two hours south of Kamloops was decimated when the Tulameen River overflowed its banks, flooding homes and…


Storm Damage in BC Prompts Gasoline and Travel Restrictions

VICTORIA—British Columbia’s public safety minister says he’s relying on the good judgment of residents to ensure the province doesn’t run out of gasoline. Mike Farnworth says B.C. residents, who are not essential workers, will be limited to buying 30 litres of fuel per gas station visit as the government looks to truck or barge gas…


‘Pretty Chaotic’: Tiny BC Community Reconnected After Flooding Wiped out Bridge

NOOAITCH FIRST NATION, BRITISH COLUMBIA—The same rainfall that forced the evacuation of 7,000 residents in Merritt, B.C., also stranded a small First Nation village just 20 kilometres away, but an all-out effort quickly reconnected the community. What was once the smallSpius Creek turned into a raging torrent earlier this week as record-setting rain washed away…


‘I Have Nothing Left’: Merritt, BC, Family Asking for Help After Losing Home

KAMLOOPS, B.C.—Barkad Khan wiped away tears Thursday as he made another “frustrating” visit to one of the emergency reception centres set up to help residents from Merritt, B.C., who have been forced from their homes due to unprecedented flooding. Khan said he and his family, wife Afreen and daughters Mahveen and Mahira, were given just…


More Military Deployments Amid Flooding State of Emergency

VANCOUVER—As rescue and relief efforts ramp up in areas hardest hit by flooding and mudslides, the B.C. government is expected to provide more information today about the state of emergency it has declared. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has indicated that measures could include an order preventing passage for all but essential travellers as limited…


BC Premier Vows to Restore Supply Chain Quickly as Canadian Military Arrives to Assist With Flood Recovery

The first group of Canadian Armed Forces personnel has arrived in British Columbia to assist the province with flooding and landslide rescues and recovery. The deployment order came after Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair convened an incident response group meeting with B.C. officials, at the request of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Nov. 17. “In…