Stretch of Hwy. 1 closed due to landslide risk as heavy rain falls on wildfire-scorched areas
Heavy rainfall that has increased the risk of landslides caused the B.C. government to announced the closure of a section of the Trans-Canada Highway on Friday.
The Ministry of Transportation announced Highway 1 was being closed starting at 4 p.m. on Friday between Spences Bridge and Lytton, most of which was destroyed by a wildfire in late June.
It says in a statement that intense rainfall over land scorched by wildfire poses the risk of landslides and motorists should expect to encounter debris in burned areas.
Drivers are also advised not to stop along their journeys when it's raining.
Additional roads and highways in B.C. may be affected by landslides and the ministry says further closures may be announced with limited notice.
Earlier on Friday, BC Hydro advised residents across the province to prepare a well-stocked emergency kit for what the Crown utility warned could be a stormy fall and winter made worse by the effects of a severe summer drought.
The latest report from BC Hydro says record-breaking heat between June and August in many parts of B.C. killed trees or weakened their root systems.
It says unstable trees combined with forecast stormier La Nina weather conditions create the potential for more power outages if they topple across power lines.
The utility says conditions heading into the fall mirror those in 2015 and 2018, two major wildfire seasons, when it was hit by its two most damaging storms.
It says a storm following the 2015 summer drought caused more than 710,000 outages and lasted multiple days.
BC Hydro has some of the highest densities of trees per kilometre of power line in North America.
It stepped up its program to manage vegetation near those lines in an effort to reduce the risk of outages over the coming months, the utility says.
But customers should have flashlights, batteries, a first aid kit, water and non-perishable food on hand in case the lights go out, it says.
It notes the duration of blackouts has been declining.
“Power service is restored for most customers within the first few hours of an outage,” says a news release.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.