Stranded B.C. traveller takes on 14-hour drive through U.S. to get home after highways flooded

For days now, some British Columbians haven’t been able to drive home after the massive rainstorm flooded highways. These closures led locals to take a long detour through the states but one traveller says the trip wasn’t half bad.

Earlier this week, mudslides led to closures on Highways 1, 5, 3, and 99, effectively cutting Metro Vancouver off from the rest of the province and Canada. Later, Canada Border Services confirmed with CityNews there will be exemptions to testing rules if people need to get past the blockages by driving through the U.S. to get home.

Paul Gibbs was in Kamloops for work last weekend, when the highways shut down Sunday. He knew he had to get home to Coquitlam but kept waiting and hoping the roads would open.

Then, on Friday, he decided the only way he could get home would be to take the long way through the states.

“We stayed at the hotel at the Sandman in Kamloops. And we were checking alternative routes … it became apparent that the only way home safely … was through the states.”

Related Article: Border exemptions for British Columbians otherwise stranded by floods

However, Gibbs says he was worried about making the trip, so he found news outlets online and heard that others crossing over the border to make the detour home seemed to go without a hitch.

“So it became very evident, that [with an] enhanced driver’s license, you could cross into the United States.”

On Friday, Gibbs got into his car drove down to the I-5 in the states to get around the closures. Once he got down to the border, he waited 30 minutes and the guard accepted their government-issued I-d instead and he was well on his way to come back up to Canada.

“The guard was fantastic, one of the nicest crossings I’ve ever had. We drove the 97 and then we took the number 2 to the I-5 and then the I-5 because the 20 is blocked with snow and then we went through Stevens Pass, it was very clear the roads were very good.”

The entire drive took about 14 hours.

“There was no problem whatsoever,” even entering back into Canada he said.

“It’s heartwarming … my wife and I were just astounded.

“The Border Services on both sides. The United States and Canada. They really stepped up. They helped us get home.”

The B.C. government has issued an order prohibiting non-essential travel on sections of highways 99, 3 and 7 in response to unprecedented flooding.

As of noon today, #BCHwy99 is open to essential travel only. No commercial vehicles larger than a cube van are allowed on this route. See details on highway segment restriction and what constitutes essential travel here: https://t.co/ri3ob4e5nw

— BC Transportation (@TranBC) November 20, 2021

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says passage through restricted areas is reserved for the commercial transport of goods like food, water and medical supplies.

He says officials will release details on the order’s enforcement soon, and restrictions will ease as roads are repaired and a backlog of essential is cleared.

The orders restricting travel and rationing gasoline came as officials estimated that 14-thousand people remained out of their homes on Friday.