Metro Vancouver officials bracing for local impacts of Chilcotin River landslide
Hundreds of kilometres downstream from where water started flowing over of a landslide blocking the Chilcotin River Monday morning, officials in Metro Vancouver are bracing for impacts in the region.
The regional district's emergency services branch posted to social media Monday afternoon, saying further updates will be provided as they become available.
"Water and debris from the Chilcotin River landslide is rushing downstream, and expected to cause intense, high flows and hazards in the lower Fraser River. A high streamflow advisory is in effect and regional park visitors should stay off away from the river," the post said.
"Metro Vancouver emergency management continues to monitor this emergency event closely and collaborate with partner emergency management agencies involved in the response."
The advisory is in effect for the Fraser River downstream from Hope. The distance between Hope and where the river starts to flow through the regional district is more than 100 kilometres.
River levels are expected to rise rapidly but no major flooding is expected. But flooding is only one of the risks signalled by a high streamflow advisory.
"Fast-flowing bodies of water increase risk to life safety," the province's River Forecast Centre says.
The risk of flooding is far higher further upstream, closer to where a massive landslide created a dam in the Chilcotin River that is estimated at 30 metres deep, 1,000 metres long and 600 metres wide.
Between Boston Bar and Hope, a flood watch is in effect meaning that flooding may occur, according to the province.
A flood warning is in effect for the Fraser River between the confluence with the Chilcotin River and Big Bar, which the River Forecast Centre explains means that flooding is all-but certain in areas "adjacent" to the river.
As water continues to spill over the dam, it is expected that "significant quantities of debris and sediment will also be mobilized," the river forecast centre's warning says.
While a worst-case scenario wherein water suddenly surged through the dam instead of gradually flowing over top of it has so far been avoided, Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma has repeatedly urged vigilance and warned of the extreme danger associated with being on or near the rivers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney to join Liberal Party as special adviser
Former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney will be joining the Liberal Party as a special adviser. In an official press release on Monday, the party says Carney will serve as the chair of a leader's task force on economic growth.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, 'doing what I can to stay cancer free' after finishing chemotherapy
Catherine, Princess of Wales, has said she has completed her chemotherapy and is 'doing what I can to stay cancer free,' as she plans to return gradually to public life in the months ahead.
John and Matthew Gaudreau are mourned by the hockey community, family and friends at their funeral
Mourners have begun to arrive for the funeral for John and Matthew Gaudreau at a church in suburban Philadelphia on Monday.
BREAKING 'Peter Nygard is a sexual predator:' Former fashion mogul sentenced to 11 years in prison
Former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. The sentence was handed to Nygard, 83, by Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Goldstein in Toronto on Monday. Last November, a jury found Nygard guilty of four counts of sexual assault following a six-week trial.
'My path to healing and full recovery is long': Read the full message from Catherine, Princess of Wales
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announced Monday she is 'cancer free,' after completing chemotherapy treatment. Here is her message in full.
Amid threat of Air Canada pilots strike, what should you do if your flight gets cancelled?
Thousands of passengers could be stranded as early as Sunday if Air Canada doesn't reach a deal with its pilots' union. Here's what you can do if labour disruptions affect your flight.
Hunt widens for man who allegedly threw scalding coffee on baby
A man wanted for allegedly throwing scalding coffee on a baby in an unprovoked attack at a park in the northern Australian state of Queensland is now the subject of an international manhunt.
BREAKING Two Alberta men get 6 1/2-year prison sentences for Coutts protest
A judge has sentenced two Alberta men to 6 1/2 years in prison for their roles in the 2022 border blockade at Coutts, Alta.
Vietnam storm deaths rise to 64 as flooding sweeps away a bus, causes a bridge to collapse
A bridge collapsed and a bus was swept away by flooding in Vietnam on Monday, raising the death toll in the Southeast Asian country to at least 64 from a typhoon and subsequent heavy rains that also damaged factories in export-focused northern industrial hubs, state media reported.