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Flooding in BC: Highways blocked, schools closed, cities evacuated due to weather

Vancouver –

Much of southern British Columbia remains under some kind of weather warning or watch until Monday afternoon, with rain, wind or even snow in the forecast.

A storm that first began to make landfall in BC on Sunday continued into Monday, wetting parts of the affected area and inundating others.

The rain was so heavy that in many parts of the province entire cities had to be evacuated, some schools were closed, and many highways were blocked with no scheduled time to reopen.

Power had been restored to hundreds of thousands of BC Hydro customers, but about 60,000 remained in the dark as of Monday afternoon.

Environment Canada warned of winter storm conditions expected on some BC highways later in the day – including snow on the Trans-Canada and Coquihalla highways – and 90 km/h winds could lead to further power failure.

The following is a summary of the storm’s effects across the province.

INLAND

Thousands of people have been forced from their homes in BC’s Interior due to evacuation orders.

The entire city of Merritt, population 7,100, is following such an order, starting with just a few neighborhoods and expanding as the morning passes.

The order follows a warning not to use any water sources in the area, because the city’s wastewater treatment plant has failed.

Meanwhile, 34 addresses in the Okanagan-Similkameen Area were ordered to evacuate late Sunday night because of flooding, and on Monday warnings were issued for properties in Keremeos Village as well as areas constituencies B and G. Check details on the RDOS website, as more updates may be available later in the day.

Thompson-Nicola Area County has issued an evacuation order for Constituency N and has declared a local state of emergency.

In social media messages, the prime minister and federal emergency readiness minister expressed support for those dealing with the floods.

“To the people of Merritt and all those in British Columbia affected by the floods: stay safe,” Justin Trudeau wrote.

Bill Blair said his department is closely monitoring the situation in southern BC, and staff are in touch with their provincial counterparts and are “ready to assist the people of British Columbia if needed.”

LOWER MAINLAND

The Lower Mainland’s Fraser Valley is also being hit hard by the storm. A precipitation warning from Environment Canada shows the western part of the region will see up to 180 mm of total rain on Monday.

The Fraser Valley in the center and east has been warned to be even more: up to 250 mm in the evening.

The weather agency said much of the rain had dropped as a result of the weather warning issued Monday morning.

Meanwhile, several evacuation warnings have been issued for neighborhoods in Abbotsford with severe flooding damaging dozens of homes and leading to the closure of major roads.

The City of Abbotsford has issued an evacuation alert for the Clayburn, Eagle Mountain, Ten Oaks and Matsqui Village areas. Those warnings were upgraded to orders in the Sumas Prairie and Straiton areas late on Monday, and transport officials said a section of Highway 1 would be closed through the city.

Some local roads were also closed due to floods or landslides.

The city has seen several of these mudslides, although there have been no reports of injuries.

An emergency assistance center located at Abbotsford Recreation Center was set up on Sunday for displaced residents.

Along the coastline, Metro Vancouver, Whistler, Howe Sound and parts of the Sunshine Coast can experience wash-out, accumulation of water, and rivers to rise as these areas experience up to 180 mm of rain. said the Canadian school.

A weather warning updated just before 4:30 p.m. said places near the water would experience strong winds overnight in cold weather.

VANCOUVER ISLAND

On Vancouver Island, where up to 180 mm of rain can fall in the morning alone, residents are dealing with rising river levels and localized flooding.

Highways and roads were flooded in parts of the island, and thousands of people on southern Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands lost power as the storm hit the area.

TRANSPORT

Several BC motorways, particularly some connecting the Lower Mainland to the Inland, were closed for a second day due to flooding and landslides.

In an update on Monday, BC’s transport department posted a long list of closures on social media, warning some drivers with no routes to their destinations. .

Not sure if your route is open? Plan your trip using our interactive traffic map.

Some people who rely on BC Ferries’ service have run aground because trips have been canceled due to weather.

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