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
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.