B.C. could still declare state of emergency due to floods, mudslides: Farnworth

B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety says a provincial state of emergency is still “very much on the table,” with waters still rising in some areas of the province and major routes washed out after a catastrophic storm.

In a news conference Tuesday, Mike Farnworth said cabinet ministers will make a decision on whether to make the declaration at their meeting on Wednesday.

“Today has been very much a day about assessment in terms of the damage that is out there and the challenges that we are facing on the infrastructure front. I will be going forward with my colleagues with a full briefing to cabinet and I fully expect decisions will be coming out of that cabinet meeting,” he said.

Q: Are you considering some sort of state of emergency?

A (Farnworth): “I can tell you that a province wide state of emergency is very much on the on the table.”

— Lasia Kretzel (@rhymeswpretzel) November 16, 2021

But he’s also defending himself from criticism the province didn’t do enough to warn people about the severity of the storm or potential for flooding.

“There was significant warming in terms of weather and the rain that was coming that was out on the media. But what we saw was an absolutely unprecedented torrential deluge like we have never seen before,” he said.

“We’ve been in an unprecedented natural disaster, and this province has been through a number of them over the last few years. In the context of alerting, alerting took place in terms of the flood warnings and streamflow advisories that went to local communities. DriveBC was outlining weather conditions on a regular basis, in terms of the condition on our highways and closures. There were significant warnings in terms of weather and the rain that was coming. Crews were out both within the Ministry of Transportation highways and in communities right across the province that were going to be impacted. There was a lot that was undertaken.”

Q: Will you name this event and other climate events as climate change related events?
A (Farnworth): “I have no doubt these are climate-related events.” And he says we’ve been warned to expect more of these types of events. This why he says the gov is taking this seriously.

— Lasia Kretzel (@rhymeswpretzel) November 17, 2021

The Lower Mainland remains cut off from direct road access to the rest of the country, and Farnworth says crews are working to get at least one highway reopened.

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Indigenous leaders call for immediate, indefinite state of emergency due to climate crisis

Earlier Tuesday, the First Nations Leadership Council demanded the province immediately declare an indefinite state of emergency due to a series of extreme weather events, including the summer wildfires and deadly heat dome.

“As extreme weather events ravage across B.C., First Nations continue to bear the brunt of climate change impacts and have been forced to flee their homes again. The unprecedented and continuing weather events prove that this is no longer a climate crisis; we are in an ongoing climate emergency, and lives and communities are at imminent risk,” said Grand Chief Stewart Philip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, in a statement.

“The response to climate change must be cross-ministerial and cannot be siloed into one ministry– the province must start to actively connect the climate crisis dots.”

FNLC Calls for a State of Emergency due to Unprecedented Climate Weather Events in BC: "The response to climate change must be cross-ministerial and cannot be silo-ed into one ministry- the province must start to actively connect the climate crisis dots" https://t.co/VxXFMuGrBQ pic.twitter.com/Dnnr5CI6Ni

— UBCIC (@UBCIC) November 16, 2021

The FNLC says only a coordinated, province-wide response will be able to meet the urgency of the moment.

“As dozens of flood warnings and evacuations continue to be issued by BC, the safety and security of those directly impacted is at risk. B.C. must deploy all available resources and enact extraordinary measures. This can only happen by declaring a State of Emergency,” the statement continues.

BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) Regional Chief Terry Teegee says the current approach of responding to each disaster as it comes fails to see how these events are connected.

“The province continues to treat these weather-related emergencies as isolated incidents and intermittently declare a State of Emergency as if they are light switches going on and off with ease,” he writes.

“Let me be clear, these are not isolated incidents. These are the ongoing repercussions of human-caused climate change that threaten our existence. BC and Canada’s failure to address climate change and its’ impacts on First Nations is inhumane.”