B.C. considers state of emergency with communities still under water, thousands out of their homes
CBC
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Provincial officials are assessing the damage across southern British Columbia after a respite from torrential downpours on Tuesday, but immediate relief is not expected on Wednesday.
Even as river levels went down provincewide, the City of Abbotsford urged residents of the low-lying Sumas Prairie area to evacuate on Tuesday night due to the threat of widespread flooding as high as three metres. As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, the city had shut off water in the area.
Thousands of evacuees remain in more than 20 evacuation centres across the province, with the city of Hope, B.C., hosting 1,100 people currently cut off from the Lower Mainland. Officials said they are working to provide an access road to the community.
One fatality was confirmed on Tuesday in a mudslide on Highway 99. Investigators have received reports of at least two other people who are missing.
With river levels dropping and a trend of generally dry weather set to continue until the weekend, provincial officials are beginning to survey the widespread damage from the floods.
Transportation Minister Rob Fleming said in a media conference on Tuesday that crews had begun work on restoring the province's highway network, but did not have specific timelines for when crucial arteries would reopen.
Fleming said Highway 3 might be able to reopen by the end of the weekend, but he wouldn't hint at when the Trans Canada Highway (Highway 1), the Coquihalla (Highway 5), and Highway 99 would reopen.
As of Wednesday morning, Highway 7 west of Agassiz had reopened a single lane open to emergency vehicles only.
Staff are prioritizing Highway 3 to ensure access to the Interior from the Lower Mainland is not cut off.
Work will take longer on Highway 5 (the Coquihalla) and Highway 1 (the Trans Canada Highway), with staff confirming washouts along the Coquihalla and numerous mudslides along Highway 1.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said there are still "options" for the province's supply chain at the moment, urging people to be patient.
He is chairing a cabinet meeting on Wednesday looking to declare a provincial state of emergency due to the flooding situation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that he would be willing to provide any support the province needs.
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