Tuesday, June 9, 2026
    ADVT 
    National

    Rain, Melting Snow Pose Flooding Concerns Across B.C. As Evacuations Lift

    Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 May, 2018 11:30 AM
      Many people forced from their homes by flooding in southern British Columbia have been allowed to return, but officials say there are still areas of concern in many parts of the province.
       
       
      Evacuation orders for about 171 addresses in Grand Forks were lifted Tuesday, with the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary saying the threat of flooding had decreased.
       
       
      Residents of more than 500 properties across the province remained out of their home, and another 6,500 were on evacuation alert, warned that they may need to leave at a moment's notice.
       
       
      The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen said drones were used to re-evaluate its evacuation alerts and orders. Residents would be allowed to return to their homes "as soon as the situation is appropriate," the regional district said.
       
       
      Farmers and ranchers have been hit hard by the rising waters, said Agriculture Minister Lana Popham. Cows were removed from two dairy farms on an island in the Fraser River near Surrey, she said.  
       
       
      "The flooding is taking a toll on farming and ranching families again," Popham said, adding many agriculture operations were also affected by last summer's historic wildfire season.
       
       
      Temperatures have been unseasonably high across much of the province in recent weeks, melting snow faster than waterways can cope with it, said David Campbell of the River Forecast Centre.
       
       
      "We, not surprisingly, have seen ongoing, dramatic, rapid snowmelt across the province over the last few weeks," he said.
       
       
      Enough snow has melted to reduce the risk for many areas that have seen significant flooding, Campbell said, but large melting snowpacks could still overwhelm the Thompson and Fraser rivers, and waterways in the Kootenay region.
       
       
      Severe rainfall is also a concern, he added, because June is known to bring wet weather across the province.
       
       
      "It's difficult, really, to kind of stand down from the seasonal risk until we're well past those weather risks," he said.
       
       
      Chris Duffy of Emergency Management BC said there are still about 300 Canadian Forces personnel and about 380 wildfire crews helping with the flood response.
      Prev Next

      MORE National ARTICLES

      Darshan Kang Resigns From Liberal Caucus After Sexual Harassment Allegations From A Second Woman

      In a written statement, Kang said he's leaving the governing party's caucus because "I wish to focus my efforts at this time on clearing my name."

      Darshan Kang Resigns From Liberal Caucus After Sexual Harassment Allegations From A Second Woman

      Three Dead In Separate Metro Vancouver Shootings Just 12 Hours Apart

      Three Dead In Separate Metro Vancouver Shootings Just 12 Hours Apart
      Police say a man and woman have died in what appears to be a targeted shooting in Langley, B.C. About 12 hours earlier, a man was shot to death in an attack in Abbotsford that police also described as targeted

      Three Dead In Separate Metro Vancouver Shootings Just 12 Hours Apart

      IHIT Investigating Surrey Man Pardeep Singh's Murder

      IHIT Investigating Surrey Man Pardeep Singh's Murder
      Surrey: On August 29, 2017 at 8:45 p.m. the Surrey RCMP responded to a report of a shooting in the 6300 block of 166 Street. 

      IHIT Investigating Surrey Man Pardeep Singh's Murder

      B.C. Schools Scrambling To Hire Teachers To Meet New Class-size Standards

      B.C. Schools Scrambling To Hire Teachers To Meet New Class-size Standards
      VANCOUVER — School districts in British Columbia are scrambling to hire thousands of teachers ahead of the new school year to satisfy a court decision that reinstates standards on class size.

      B.C. Schools Scrambling To Hire Teachers To Meet New Class-size Standards

      Toronto Neurosurgeon Mohammed Shamji Charged In The Death Of His Wife Denied Bail

      Toronto Neurosurgeon Mohammed Shamji Charged In The Death Of His Wife Denied Bail
      TORONTO — A Toronto neurosurgeon charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife has been denied bail.

      Toronto Neurosurgeon Mohammed Shamji Charged In The Death Of His Wife Denied Bail

      Naming Rights For Arenas Is The Norm: Why ScotiaBank Bet $800m On NHL Stadium

      Naming Rights For Arenas Is The Norm: Why ScotiaBank Bet $800m On NHL Stadium
      VANCOUVER — Scotiabank's $800-million deal for the naming rights to the Air Canada Centre, home of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, is the latest move by a corporation to corner the sponsorship market of the country's national pastime.

      Naming Rights For Arenas Is The Norm: Why ScotiaBank Bet $800m On NHL Stadium

      PrevNext