Livestock death toll from B.C. flooding: 628,000 poultry, 12,000 hogs, 420 cows
With recovery efforts underway in flood-stricken parts of British Columbia, officials are getting an idea of the massive impact the extreme weather has had on the province's livestock.
In an update Thursday, Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said more than 640,000 animals are known to have died.
That total includes 628,000 poultry, 12,000 hogs and 420 dairy cows. Additionally, 110 beehives were destroyed.
There are still more than 800 farms under evacuation, so officials believe the death toll will likely change as residents and operators return.
Popham said solemnly that the weather is expected to be better over the next few days, which will be "critical for removal of carcasses."
"The work by farmers and volunteers and companies to clean out barns and to remove those animals continues to be extremely heartbreaking. I request that folks remain empathetic and caring in their comments, as they continue to do this very difficult work," she said.
Popham did not provide details on her motive for making such a statement, but it may have been a reference to comments posted on social media suggesting those who look after these animals didn't care for their wellbeing anyway, as they'd raised them for consumption.
The minister said that the farmers she's been in contact with are showing resilience, and she said they're experiencing what she described as "a good problem to have." They're having to find several centres for the public to drop off feed and supplies.
"The generosity of people is exceptional," she said.
Popham said she's also working with the B.C. Agriculture Council to ensure farmers are supported, and she's met with her federal counterpart, Marie-Claude Bibeau, to discuss a recovery package from Ottawa.
"We're still in the process of quantifying losses, whether it be animal crops or plant crops, and we hope to firm up those numbers as the waters recede," Popham said.
The waters reached depths of 2.4 metres in places, including on properties owned by blueberry producers, and some plants are still under water.
There are about 700 acres of blueberries planted in the Sumas Prairie, part of which is located in Abbotsford, and as with other crops, the full extent of the damage is not yet known.
A series of intense storms brought days of relentless rain over southern B.C., leading to mudslides and flooding across the area. The City of Abbotsford was among the areas hit hardest by the floods.
Further north, a mudslide claimed the lives of at least four people. Another person is still missing and presumed dead.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.