B.C. flooding: Intense weather systems coming as province reopens, repairs major highways
Rainstorms of increasing intensity are forecast to hit British Columbia over the coming days, prompting warnings for people to be prepared to evacuate floodwaters if necessary.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the biggest rainstorm is expected to arrive on Tuesday and people living in areas prone to flooding should be on alert.
He urges people to have food, water, blankets, and flashlights ready in case of rising waters in their communities.
Floods and mudslides last week damaged and closed some major provincial highways, forced the evacuation of the City of Merritt and caused historic flood damage in the Abbotsford-Chilliwack area of the Fraser Valley, devastating homes, farms and livestock.
Six people have been confirmed killed or missing in the floods and slides.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is to be in B.C. today to visit areas affected by the flooding and meet with provincial, municipal, and First Nation leaders.
Trudeau's schedule says he will be in the Abbotsford area and will also meet with members of the military, first responders and volunteers.
He is to be in Victoria later in the day to meet with Premier John Horgan.
Farnworth says officials will be closely watching the coming storms for increasing flood and slide threats.
Environment Canada says Howe Sound, as well as northern sections of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, were expected to receive up to 80 millimetres of rain by Friday morning. Southern sections of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley were forecast to receive up to 50 millimetres.
But despite the weather warnings, the government says progress is being made in re-establishing vital highway links and interrupted supply chains.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said Thursday that a major section of the Trans-Canada Highway between Abbotsford and Chilliwack has reopened and work on the damaged Coquihalla Highway is underway. The major route that connects the Lower Mainland with the B.C. Interior could reopen in late January, but to commercial traffic only, he added.
Fleming said about 20 sites along the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt have been badly damaged and five bridges have either collapsed or sustained serious structural problems.
The Trans-Canada Highway through the Fraser Canyon remains closed as does Highway 8 between Spences Bridge and Merritt, but Highway 3 from Hope to the Interior is open as is Highway 7 between Agassiz and Hope.
The federal government and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced they are working together to address supply chain disruptions, with Ottawa contributing up to $4.1 million to ease bottlenecks at Vancouver ports.
Farnworth said the coming rains have emergency officials making preparations in the Sumas area of the Fraser Valley where major flooding has already occurred.
“The focus right now is on the flood-impacted areas where the ground is saturated and dikes have been under pressure,” he said.
“The entire region is getting the attention and the focus to make sure that not only are crews there but the equipment, the sandbags, of which I think about two million are in place to be able to deal with the weather events we are seeing.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.