VANCOUVER -- The District of Kent in the Fraser Valley has declared a state of emergency because of severe local flooding, landslides and falling rocks.
The flooding and landslides have damaged drinking water infrastructure in the Rockwell Drive to Sasquatch Provincial Park area, the district says. Sasquatch Provincial Park is located north of the towns of Harrison Hot Springs and Agassiz.
Residents in the area who have been affected by the road washout and damaged water line have been ordered to evacuate immediately. Drinking water to the area has been temporarily shut off because of a water line break.
Rockwell Drive is closed, and the public is being told to stay away from the area. The highway is unstable, with fast moving water on the road and in ditches.
Ministry of Transportation geotechnical experts must now assess slopes and land stability in this area, a process that is being delayed because of the difficulty getting access to many affected areas.
A heavy rainfall that hit B.C.'s south coast from Thursday to Saturday poured 50 to 100 millimetres of rain on the region, and caused flooding and landslides in many areas.
A few hundred people are still stuck at Squamish Mountain Resort because the only road to the ski resort is blocked by landslides and damaged by washouts. It may take up to six days before Hemlock Valley Road is repaired, according to the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
The Sumas border crossing on Hwy 11 is currently closed because of flooding, according to DriveBC. Squamish Valley Road is also closed becaue of a washout.
A state of emergency was declared for the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island on Friday, after heavy rains caused major flooding and some residents had to evacuate.
The heavy rain also caused a mudslide that buried train tracks in South Surrey and White Rock, halting freight and passenger traffic Friday night. The Coquihalla was also closed on Saturday between Hope and Merritt because of flooding.
