Another rainstorm expected to hit Canada's British Columbia
Darpan News Desk IANS, 22 Nov, 2021 01:10 PM
Ottawa, Nov 22 (IANS) A second "atmospheric river" rainstorm is expected to hit Canada's still-flooded province of British Columbia, according to Environment Canada.
The rainstorm will dump up to 100 millimetres of rain on some areas, and flash flooding and water pooling are possible, along with localized flooding in lower-lying areas, Xinhua news agency reported.
Environment Canada also warned of heavy snow in inland parts of the province on Sunday, saying that the snow could change to heavy rain as the temperature rises.
Some 20-30 centimetre snow has already fallen since Saturday and more snow is expected on Sunday before strong, warm winds from the south begin to melt that snow.
The British Columbia government called on its residents on Sunday to get prepared for heavy rain and strong winds.
The government declared a state of emergency last Wednesday due to floods and mudslides caused by the first "atmospheric river" rainstorm which lasted a few days. At least four people died in one of the multiple mudslides.
Atmospheric rivers are long, high plumes of moisture-laden air that can bring hours- or days-long rainfall of varying intensity to the west coast of North America.
The province had confirmed that a vaccine card system would begin Sept. 13, requiring proof of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in order to enter restaurants, movies, ticketed sporting events and many other non-essential venues.
The mayor of Surrey says he was “verbally assaulted” and hit by a car on Saturday. Doug McCallum says the incident happened when he was out grocery shopping.
The poll also suggests Canadians were largely split on whether the reopening of in-person learning at elementary and secondary schools changed any concerns they had about the Delta variant.
The number of cases in Canada each day grew from about 700 in early August, to almost 3,500 now. The vast majority of cases are among unvaccinated individuals, with Tam saying unvaccinated people are 12 times more likely to be infected and 36 times more likely to be hospitalized if they get infected.
Premier Jason Kenney, two months after declaring victory over COVID-19, is now offering $100 to Albertans who aren't fully vaccinated to curb nation-leading cases of the illness that have again pushed the province's hospitals to the brink.
The emergency operations centre for the central Okanagan has said at least 78 properties west of Okanagan Lake sustained significant damage, in addition to properties destroyed in Monte Lake and Westwold on the fire's opposite flank.