Concern over incoming wintry weather as B.C. begins to rebuild after devastating floods

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After a string of intense storms subsided, a long and potentially arduous rebuilding process will begin for communities throughout southern British Columbia affected by floods and mudslides.

The third storm in little under a week passed on Thursday, capping a series that made this November the wettest on record in many B.C. communities.

The danger is not over for some communities in B.C. An evacuation order was issued at noon for 56 addresses in the Hatzic Prairie area of the Fraser Valley. 

The order was issued because heavy rainfall and debris jams caused flooding from Lagace Creek, Dale Creek, Hatzic Slough and other waterways and road access is limited.

B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the worst weather conditions were "behind" the province.

He said recovery work will involve repairing vital transportation routes, restoring agricultural operations deluged by high water and getting thousands of evacuated people back to their homes.

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said the federal government is working very closely with local governments to help those affected by the floods.

"I think there's a strong shared commitment to do what is necessary to help the people who have been impacted by these floods as quickly as possible," he said.

However, low temperatures and snow may complicate recovery efforts heading into the weekend. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement warning of wet snow in many areas of southwest B.C., including the flood-battered Fraser Valley.

In the community of Princeton in the province's Interior, Mayor Spencer Coyne said freezing temperatures would bring a lot of challenges to the town's cleanup effort. Many residents were forced to evacuate their homes, with more than half the town underwater in mid-November.

"We've still got a lot of mud and debris to clean up that's going to freeze. We're supposed to be getting snow this weekend, so that'll cover up a lot of [debris]," he said.

"There's a myriad of issues that we're going to have to deal with."

Elsewhere in the Interior, flood warnings have been maintained around the badly hit community of Merritt. It's the only area of the province still under a flood warning.