Evacuation orders, alerts issued in Pemberton due to flooding

The Village of Pemberton, B.C., issued an evacuation order Tuesday afternoon due to “immediate danger to life safety” posed by flooding in the area. And in the evening, another 45 properties were placed on evacuation alert. 

The village has also declared a state of emergency, which Mayor Mike Richman told CTV News is a cautionary step.

“Hopefully it doesn’t become any more than that,” he said. “(An SOE) allows us to be nimble and react to whatever comes our way.”

“We’ve seen this before and we’re good at being ready and supporting each other,” he added. 

The order applies to six properties on Airport Road, on the bank of the Lillooet River. They include: 

• 1643 Airport Road
• 1674 Airport Road
• 1690 Airport Road
• 1710 Airport Road
• 1730 Airport Road
• 1850 Airport Road

The properties inside the evacuation zone include Pemberton’s wastewater treatment plant, search and rescue base, airport, BC Wildfire Service office, an animal shelter, two golf courses and a handful of residential homes.

The village said anyone living in the properties must leave the area immediately. People are asked to evacuate toward the Sea to Sky highway.

“You can still get out along the road, and we want people to do so in case water does come up and does cut off that portion of the road,” Richman said. 

Anyone needing emergency support services can call the Red Cross at 1-888-800-6493 and those needing transportation can call 604-894-6135, the village said.

A map of the properties under evacuation order on Tuesday, Jan. 30. (Village of Pemberton)

Later Tuesday, the village issued an evacuation alert for 45 properties—which encompasses low-lying addresses next to the Arn Canal, Vine Road and the Highway 99 Mobile Home Park.

“I encourage people to have a bag packed and be ready—it’s always good practice in case you do need to make a move,” Richman said.

All residents of the properties under evacuation alert are urged to sandbag around their homes. Richman added there are sandbags at the village office available for anyone who needs them. 

B.C.’s River Forecast Centre issued a flood warning for the Lillooet River and its tributaries on Tuesday morning. It said flows on the river are reaching five-year to ten-year return periods.

River flows are high across much of the South Coast after “potent storms" brought 80 to 300 millimetres of rain to the region since Friday, with about 40 to 130 millimetres having fallen in the past 24 hours, according to the centre.

Mountain snowmelt brought on by unseasonably warm temperatures—some of them record-breaking—combined with elevated freezing levels and bouts of heavy rain are behind the flooding, according to Environment Canada.

More rain is forecast to arrive overnight Tuesday and last through Wednesday. ”Temperatures are expected to warm during this period, and snowmelt at lower and mid-elevations will provide additional runoff to rivers,” the centre wrote.

A flood warning is also in place for the Squamish River and its tributaries. Areas including the Sumas River, the northern Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, the Sunshine Coast, Sea-to-Sky, North Shore Mountains and Vancouver Island are under flood watches.

‘A LITTLE BIT UNUSUAL’

The rain-on-snow event Pemberton is seeing is unusual for this time of year, the mayor explained.

“It doesn’t usually happen in January and we don’t usually see these sorts of temperatures this time of year,” he said. “The fact that it’s so warm so high and a lot of this moisture is then flowing down the hill makes it a little bit unusual for us.”

He added the frost layer in the ground is making the water flow differently than normal. That’s one of the many factors staff are monitoring to estimate where high-risk areas may be.

“All the water in the area here eventually dumps into the Lillooet Lake, which eventually dumps into the Fraser River, so a big part of the equation is how fast is that drain and therefore taking the water from the valley bottom here,” Richman said.

“Our infrastructure is holding well—knock on wood.” 

Flooding on Green River Forest Service Road is seen on Monday, Jan. 29. (Image credit: Pemberton Valley Dyking District/Facebook)

PUPPIES RESCUED FROM EVACUATION ZONE

A pair of employees from Blackcomb Helicopters are being praised for their heroism after a Pemberton animal shelter on Airport Road flooded early Tuesday morning.

In a social media post, PAWS Pemberton says the duo broke into the shelter to rescue five puppies and their mom from the rising waters.

“Their swift and decisive actions saved lives and we are profoundly thankful,” the post reads.

“The entire team at Blackcomb Helicopters then provided crucial shelter and care for these animals, demonstrating remarkable compassion and teamwork in our moment of crisis,” it continues.

PAWS also thanked a shelter volunteer who waded through the icy floodwaters to retrieve other animals and get emergency supplies.

The shelter asked for local fosters to take in the displaced animals, and appealed for donations to replace damaged supplies.

This is a developing story and will be updated.