Flood watches, warnings raised across B.C., Fraser Valley overwhelmed

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Posted November 28, 2021 8:10 pm.

Last Updated November 29, 2021 4:56 am.

Communities around B.C. are flooding rapidly, with several evacuation orders and flood alerts issued Sunday.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre has upgraded the flood warnings for the Tulameen River at Princeton, Coldwater River at Merritt, and Lower Nicola River near Spences Bridge. It maintained a flood watch for the Similkameen River at Princeton and added the Coquihalla River above Alexander Creek to its list of flood warnings.

In Merritt, the Coldwater River reached high speeds and overflowed into the street. An evacuation order remains in effect for some properties in the city, and many who were able to return to their homes in recent days have been told to be ready in case conditions get worse.

The entire Lower Fraser and South Coast is on flood watch. So are Spius Creek near Canford and Skagit.

Hope has also declared a local state of emergency due to flooding that extends all the way to Lytton.

Under a local state of emergency, people in the Fraser Valley Regional District are struggling with a tremendous amount of water from nearby rivers. Some are being pumped into nearby reservoirs, while others are nearing or already breaching their banks.

Nineteen flooding incidents and 15 slides had been reported in the Fraser Valley Regional District as of Sunday night.

Nine areas in the region had been ordered to evacuate around 7:00 pm on Sunday: Auchenway Road, Bell Acres, Bridal Falls, Columbia Valley, Hansome Road, O’Byrne Road, Othello Road, Tunnels Road, and Wilson Road.

Evacuation notices were cleared at Lakeshore and Shook Road, and four communities were under alert: Hatzic Valley, Laidlaw, Lorenzetta Crescent, and Waleach Crescent.

Water levels rose in Abbotsford Sunday, prompting a few schools to change their programming plans for the week.

There will be no in-person classes at the University of the Fraser Valley until Dec. 5 because of the extreme weather. From Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, Robert Bateman Secondary and WJ Mouat Secondary in Abbotsford will be switching to virtual learning. All other schools in the district are open for face-to-face instruction.

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Members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed across the province to place sandbags and help with rescue and recovery. In the Fraser Valley Regional District, sandbags are being distributed at Camp Squeah in Hope, Chilliwack River Valley Firehall, Columbia Firehall, and North Fraser Firehall.

Highway 1 is closed until further notice for safety reasons.

Evacuation and flooding alerts are available on Alertable and through the B.C. River Forecast Centre for British Columbians who want to stay updated.

The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre has been activated to support flood victims, and a public inquiry line is open at 778-704-0400 to report flooding-related incidents in your area.

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