Raging floodwaters swallow home, trees near Hope, B.C.
Residents of Hope, B.C. have captured video of powerful floodwaters swallowing a home and large trees.
Videos posted to social media show the destruction around Othello Road on Sunday afternoon.
Josh Fleet lives in Hope and was one of the residents who stood by watching it all unfold.
“It’s just devastating to see the house gone like that,” Fleet told CTV News Vancouver. "In a matter of 12 hours the water came up and just swept away a whole house, just like that.”
According to Environment Canada, Hope received 120 millimetres of rain over the weekend and is still under a local state of emergency.
Mayor Peter Robb said a number of properties are under an evacuation alert ahead of Tuesday’s rain event.
“The water level (was) pretty high last night so we wanted to make sure we had it (state of emergency) in place in case we had to move those folks out of there,” Robb said. “Now the worry is, what will tomorrow and the next day bring - weather-wise.”
On Monday, floodwaters had receded enough for Highway 3 to reopen from Hope to Princeton, though transportation minister Rob Fleming described the situation as “constantly evolving."
Princeton prepares
Over the weekend army personnel worked to secure a dike in Princeton, using sandbags to raise the level of it higher.
Mayor Spencer Coyne said that work had finished and crews were leaving the city Monday afternoon.
“The work they did was priceless for us,” Coyne said. “If we didn’t have that I don't know what state I’d be in to be honest.”
With another rain system approaching Tuesday, Coyne said no one would “breathe easy” until it had passed.
Merritt prepares
Army personnel were still on the ground in Merritt on Monday reinforcing the banks of the Coldwater River.
According to the city’s information officer Greg Lowis, there was no overland flooding through the weekend, allowing the city to allow day access again for properties south of Nicola Avenue.
The city is currently allowing residents in hard-hit areas to return to their properties in phases. Those in phase three can only access their homes between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., while it’s still too dangerous for people to enter the area classified as phase four.
Lowis believes the city is as prepared as it can be ahead of Tuesday’s rain, but said if too much water comes down there’s nothing people can do aside from “get out of the way.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.