Swollen, rushing creeks have eroded massive chunks of earth, snapped trees like matchsticks, washed away roads and forced the evacuation of at least 33 people in one community in British Columbia's Interior.

More than half a day after the chaos began, officials in Sicamous, B.C., located on the Shuswap Lake, announced Sunday morning they were forced to evacuate some stranded residents by houseboat.

A local state of emergency has also been declared in the municipality of about 3,100 people, and community leaders have issued a do-not-use water order for one water system and a mandatory water-conservation notice.

But Sicamous is not alone, as bad weather, bolstered by a low-pressure system that's been anchored off the Oregon and Washington coasts, wreaks havoc around the province.

Sections of the Trans-Canada Highway, near Revelstoke, have been closed in both directions because of a mudslide, announced the provincial government's website.

"It was astounding," said Gary Benz, a Sicamous resident who lives by a creek that burst its banks.

"I've never seen anything like it. Watching 30-foot chunks of bank drop into the creek, with trees ... going down and snapping like matchsticks.

"It was crazy. I've never seen anything like it. I hope I never see it again, either."

At one point the problem was so bad that a waterfall had formed in his own carport, said Benz.

The chaos, which began Saturday, was not unforeseen, as the B.C. River Forecast Centre had issued a flood warning for the South Thompson River and Shuswap Lake.

A flood warning means water levels on rivers have or are close to jumping their banks.

Jim Steele, a spokesman for Environment Canada, said the weather system dropped between 20 and 40 millimetres of rain on the area.

The Sicamous and Hummingbird Creeks spilled their banks.

Local resident Bernhard Kramer said he saw waters swamp several trucks at a local vacation property and damage some nearby structures.

Also damaged were at least two bridges, stranding several residents, said fire Chief Brett Ogino.

"There was definitely reports last night (Saturday) of homes being flooded," he added. "And most of those people were evacuated out."

A reception centre is running at a local seniors' facility, he added, noting a second evacuation was underway Sunday morning.

But the rushing waters also appear to have washed out the local highway in two or three places, added RCMP Const. Pat Pyper.

"We are sending SAR into the areas, search and rescue people, and they are going to be going door to door," he said, adding that officials planned to use a houseboat to evacuate residents on one area.

Meanwhile, the provincial government announced on one of its websites, www.tranbc.ca, that several highways were closed due to mudslides.

The Trans-Canada was closed in both directions about 15 kilometres west of Revelstoke, as well as a section near Griffin Lake, about 25 kilometres west of Revelstoke.

The provincial government said cleanup work had begun.

Also closed in both directions about eight kilometres south of Sicamous was Highway 97A, and Highway 16 in Tete Jaune Cache.

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A video uploaded to YouTube by kellymdickpromotions captured destruction caused by serious flooding in Sicamous.