B.C. officials to announce measures for protecting residents against flooding, extreme-weather events

More measures meant to protect B.C. residents against extreme-weather events are expected to be announced Thursday.

More measures meant to protect B.C. residents against extreme-weather events are expected to be announced Thursday.

Several officials will hold a morning news conference to announce protections against flooding. While no details were given about what those measures will include, B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Nathan Cullen, Stó:lo Tribal Council Chief Tyrone McNeil, and Vancouver Coun. Pete Fry are all expected to be at the public announcement.

Officials are keeping a close eye on weather forecasts in the coming weeks, as B.C. has faced a months-long "precipitation deficit," which left the average provincial snowpack at 66 per cent of normal, as of a March 1 bulletin. While the lack of snowpack brings a decreased flood risk in some communities, some remain prone to flooding. In Merritt, for example, work on rebuilding dikes has stalled, leaving more than 1,200 at risk of future incidents. 

Earlier this month, Merritt officials said that while the federal government has committed $46.5 million to the province to rebuild dikes, the work can’t begin until the province funds another $21 million to buy land for the project.

“Unless we get these dikes fixed, it will flood again because we do have certain areas in our community that have no diking at all, it’s been washed away. So between them and the river is the grace of God,” said Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz.

“It’s imperative that we get this contained, that we get the funding to fix these dikes…It is a concern for everybody in the community."

The Coldwater River in Merritt has flooded numerous times, including as recently as late January, though no serious damage was done. The lack of a diking system in Merritt has left residents anxious, particularly those hit hard by the historic floods of 2021, when a series of atmospheric rivers caused $280 million in damage in the community.