B.C. provides update on flooding

The province’s response to flooding continues Thursday after an atmospheric river brought record-setting rains to B.C.’s coast.

Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene says the last 48 hours have been “particularly challenging for families, farmers and communities” hit by flooding. Unfortunately, she says the work has not ended with the rain.

“We are not yet through this emergency. We are anticipating continued flow from the Nooksack [River] today and rising water levels, and are prepared for difficult days and nights ahead,” said Greene at a media event.

She thanked the many crews, neighbours, and government and First Nation response teams who helped overnight, and says their work will continue.

Greene says approximately 400 properties are still under evacuation orders, and around 1,800 more are under evacuation alerts in the Fraser Valley and Okanagan-Similkameen regions.

“Emergency staff are working around the clock to keep people safe. Emergency support services are being provided to those who have been evacuated and need help supporting their basic needs. We are holding regular coordination calls with at-risk communities and are supporting people and communities who have been evacuated. We continue to deploy flood assets and equipment like sandbags, tiger dams — and these will protect property and livestock.”

Minister of Agriculture and Food Lana Popham says 66 farms with livestock are under an evacuation order, and another 99 are under an alert.

“We know from 2021, the significant impact that this type of event has on our agricultural community,” said Popham. But she says the province is better prepared this time, and resources are available to affected farmers.

Emergency management specialists, she claims, are working to help farmers through emergencies as they arise.

Dave Campbell, head of B.C.’s River Forecast Centre, says flood warnings are still in place around the Fraser Valley and the flooding will continue.

“We’ve just seen over the last few hours, the gauge hit its peak at Everson [Wash.], which is where the overflow takes place. And it’s starting to decline there as well. Given the time that it’s taken to come up and and back down, that river is probably going to be continuing to spill its banks, and spill into Canada through the day [Thursday] and into the early part of the evening,” Campbell explained.

“It takes a while for that water to move through, so we are anticipating to see the continued rise through the Sumas system… potentially overnight and really into tomorrow before we start to see that whole system receding.”

Long-term, he says, more rain is coming. Another atmospheric river is expected to cover the region Sunday and Monday.

“We’ll be providing updates as we get a better understanding of how that weekend system will come into place. As well as how much time we have to recover rivers in the next few days here before that system arrives.”