Pemberton Valley residents told to evacuate as river levels rise

Vancouver -

Residents in parts of the Pemberton Valley, north of Whistler, were ordered to leave their homes due to rising river levels and flooding on Saturday evening.

About 600 people have been affected by the evacuation orders.

In a statement, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District wrote that the order was made “due to immediate danger to life safety caused by flooding.”

The authority listed several addresses in “Electoral Area C,” and said that residents in those homes “must leave the area immediately.” The RCMP was tasked with “expediting” the evacuation, and a nearby community centre was opened to help people find emergency accommodations.

Residents in areas of the Village of Pemberton were also ordered to evacuate, as were members of the Líl̓wat Nation who live on Indian Reserve No. 1, 2, 3 and 8. The Líl̓wat Nation has specified that people must stay away from their homes until July 4, but the other authorities have not specified an anticipated return date.

The Ministry of Forests said the high water levels were due to "hot temperatures over the past several days (that) have triggered significant amount of snowmelt at the higher elevations of the Lillooet River."

Visitors are not welcome in the area. In a tweet, the Squamish-Lillooet district said the Pemberton Valley trails are flooding.

“Pemberton Valley trails are flooding! Trails including Bathtub, Live Like Lisa, the Valley Loop and the One Mile Lake area will likely be under water … Please avoid these trails, including the boardwalk at One Mile Lake, and others where flooding may occur.”

Earlier in the day, the district had released an evacuation alert, which gave residents a few hours to pack up their essentials and be ready to leave.

“The BC River Forecast Centre has issued a Flood Watch and groundwater saturation has already resulted in some surface flooding,” the alert said.