Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
National

People on B.C. Highway 8 facing long-term disaster

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 25 Nov, 2021 04:02 PM
  • People on B.C. Highway 8 facing long-term disaster

SPENCES BRIDGE, B.C. - Steven Rice went to his farm to grab some coffee for his café in Spences Bridge, B.C., on Nov. 15 and noticed the rising water near his property spilling on to the highway.

An hour later and the section of Highway 8 was gone, leaving him unable to access his home and orchard.

"The landscape I saw looks like you've entered a new world, the twilight zone or Mars. It's beyond imagination," he said in an interview.

The Nicola River, which runs along flood-damaged Highway 8, has changed course and left some farms underwater, Rice says. A subsequent mudslide wiped out the highway and destroyed or damaged dozens of properties in the area.

Rice, who is also a director with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, said he expects it will take years for some residents to return home.

"The people on Highway 8, where our disaster is, have been hit with a long-term disaster. This isn't a month or two, it's a year or two for lots of us," he said.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth told a news conference Thursday that airdrops of food and efforts to assess the "state of the road" are underway.

“That particular highway was impacted beyond belief," he said.

Part of the issue, Rice said, is that many residents rely on farming and hunting to survive.

The floodwaters have meant that some farmers will not bring in any income for at least a year, he added.

"We need a lot of help right now," Rice said. "Most of us left, seriously, left with the clothes on our back. It unfolded so fast. If you weren't at your place, you weren't going back."

He said he's been fortunate to be able to stay in some rooms behind his café with his partner Paulette, her brother, Rice's farming partner, five farm dogs and a cat.

Rice said the damage suffered by Spences Bridge residents, as well as neighbouring Lytton, which was razed by a deadly wildfire, reinforces the need for all levels of government to work to combat climate change.

"A decade ago, it was the exception to have wildfires and floods in the Interior. Now it is the rule. You know almost every year you're going to get floods and fires," he said.

The federal and provincial governments need to increase relief efforts and help winterize affected properties to ensure no more damage takes place, Rice added.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Top court upholds escort service convictions

Top court upholds escort service convictions
In a landmark 2013 decision, the Supreme Court declared the provision against living on the avails of sex work to be overbroad and in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. For instance, the law criminalized actions, such as working as a bodyguard, that could enhance the safety of sex workers.

Top court upholds escort service convictions

Abbotsford races to fix dike before more rain

Abbotsford races to fix dike before more rain
Henry Braun said Friday that ultimately, the entire dam may have to be rebuilt to a higher standard to protect a major farming area called Sumas Prairie, which suffered extensive flooding as water gushed in from the Nooksack River from neighbouring Washington state.

Abbotsford races to fix dike before more rain

Critics pan Canada's 'piecemeal' travel-test plan

Critics pan Canada's 'piecemeal' travel-test plan
As of Nov. 30, fully vaccinated travellers who can enter Canada by right won't be required to obtain a molecular test for COVID-19, such as a PCR test, if they've been in the United States for less than 72 hours, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told a news conference.

Critics pan Canada's 'piecemeal' travel-test plan

Misconduct crisis hurting recruitment: Anand

Misconduct crisis hurting recruitment: Anand
Top of that list was what Anand described as significant and lasting change to the Canadian military's culture as the Armed Forces faces a crisis of confidence following complaints of inappropriate and in some cases criminal sexual behaviour involving senior officers.

Misconduct crisis hurting recruitment: Anand

22 injured in blast at CFB Comox, B.C.

22 injured in blast at CFB Comox, B.C.
The Department of National Defence says 22 people were treated for injuries in an explosion Thursday at a Canadian Forces base on Vancouver Island. One person remains in hospital, while all others, including 16 military members and six civilians, were treated and released after the blast at 19 Wing Comox.

22 injured in blast at CFB Comox, B.C.

2 male suspects involved in theft of vehicle and child abduction

2 male suspects involved in theft of vehicle and child abduction
Investigators have determined that there were two male suspects involved, one who stole the vehicle with the baby and a second suspect who was driving a secondary vehicle. The secondary vehicle was a black Mercedes SUV.

2 male suspects involved in theft of vehicle and child abduction