A local state of emergency has been declared in a Northeastern B.C. community, and the advisory may be expanded as floodwaters continue to rise.

More than 80 millimetres of rain drenched Chetwynd, located southwest of Fort St. John, by noon Wednesday, and more rain fell through the afternoon.

The flooding forced the closure of Highway 97, the main route into town, as well as some smaller roads.

The district's mayor urged residents to call 911 if they are in danger, and said to take precautions to keep their homes and families safe. Residents are being warned to stay away from swollen creeks and damaged roads.

"There were quite a few homes that have been affected," longtime resident Naomi Larsen told CTV News.

"Friends of ours here in town their basement is full of water. We have friends on the other end of town, they've evacuated their kids and they're trying to save their home. It's been crazy."

Fortunately, no serious injuries have been reported so far.

About 100 kilometres east, the city of Dawson Creek faced a similar situation on Wednesday morning.

Viewer video shows water barreling over the side of one of the main roads in town, with a car trapped in the middle.

“Dawson Creek has turned into a waterfall,” the man in the video says. “The town is completely cut in half, and all people can really do right now is watch.”

Another resident said they’d been told to go home in the morning, because they might not be able to get back later in the day.

“You got the hospital on the south side of town... it’s cut off from the north,” Mayor Dale Bumstead said.

At least one bridge has collapsed and several roads have been washed out by torrents of water. Local parks were partially underwater as a result of the rain, and the deluge plugged several culverts, making the flooding worse.

“I was taking my son to school and we saw that the park had become a lake,” Ronnie Crosby told CTV.

Photos taken by the city from the air showed homes and businesses submerged in muddy water. More than 60 homes had to be evacuated due to the surge in water levels, and thousands of hydro customers are without power.

“You hurt for your community when people suffer damages like that,” the mayor said.

The River Forecast Centre has issued a flood warning, saying that stream levels could elevate rapidly during the storm. The warning includes streams near Pine Pass, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, Dawson Creek and Fort St. John.

The agency also has a flood watch in place for the Fort Nelson area.

The weather system bringing precipitation into the area has sparked a rainfall warning for B.C.'s Interior and parts of Alberta.

 

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Hurst