The storms and warnings are not expected to slow down in British Columbia. Today, the province is expecting their third in a series of large storms bringing a torrential downpour. Officials are still working through addressing the damage that was caused across the Lower Mainland and southern interior from the previous two storms. There are several warnings this third storm could be the worse one yet. Environment Canada has issued a series of special weather statements with a predicted 100 to 200 millimetres of rain and winds that could reach up to 60 kilometres per hour. Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada compared the first two storms that dumped 24 to 36 hours compared to this third storm that could have more rain for about 48 hours. The first atmospheric river system from November 13th to 15th caused fatal mudslides and devastating floods. While the second forced more evacuations from residents and road closures. A new evacuation order has been made for a dozen properties in the communities of Chilliwack and Hope. The Hope community specifically is under a state of emergency as they received 140 millimetres over the weekend. The evacuation order that has been levelled means residents must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Between Abbotsford and Chilliwack Highway 1 closed because of the rain and non-essential travel is not advised by the government. There is not a timeline currently on when this can reopen. The order reads “Flooding from multiple watercourses in the Laidlaw area caused by heavy rainfall associated with atmospheric river events is impacting properties.” People in the affected areas along Laidlaw and McKay road have been advised to collect 72 hours’ worth of emergency supplies, including medications and leave while it is safe to do. There is another advisory to recommend closing doors, windows, and turning off all appliances aside from refrigerators and freezers and ensuring to help those who need the assistance.
Residents being transported after being displaced by flooding in Abbotsford
Flood watches have been upgraded to warnings for several rivers across the province. Coquihalla, Sumas, Tulameen, Coldwater, and Nicole rivers are all under flood warnings meaning the levels of the river have exceeded their banks and flooding in the surrounding areas could occur. In Merritt, city crews, contractors, and even the Canadian Armed Forces personnel have been working together to build more sustainable riverbank defences. The Trans Mountain Pipeline has had their work to restore the pipeline over the weekend because of high water levels or lack of access to the pipeline itself. At this moment, gasoline is being shipped into the province through trucks and boats in order to avoid shortages. The province will get a break Thursday and Friday from these systems before another weaker weather will move in around Saturday. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has said the province is ready to use Alert Ready, a system that pushes emergency notifications directly to cellphones. This will be used if it believes the storm is a threat to life or public safety.
Be the first to comment