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

      PICS: Justin Trudeau, Irish PM Leo Varadkar March In Montreal Pride Parade

      PICS: Justin Trudeau, Irish PM Leo Varadkar March In Montreal Pride Parade
      Justin Trudeau marched with his Irish counterpart in Montreal's Pride parade on Sunday, marking the first time a foreign head of government has joined a prime minister in a Canadian Pride celebration.

      PICS: Justin Trudeau, Irish PM Leo Varadkar March In Montreal Pride Parade

      Federal Appointee To Race Relations Board Under Scrutiny For Writings On Islam

      Federal Appointee To Race Relations Board Under Scrutiny For Writings On Islam
      OTTAWA — A board member with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, an arms-length federal government agency with a mandate to combat racial discrimination, is in jeopardy of losing her post over her writings on the controversial website Jihad Watch.

      Federal Appointee To Race Relations Board Under Scrutiny For Writings On Islam

      American Tourist In Critical Condition In Montreal After Four-Storey Fall

      American Tourist In Critical Condition In Montreal After Four-Storey Fall
      Montreal police say a tourist from California is in critical condition after falling four storeys early this morning.

      American Tourist In Critical Condition In Montreal After Four-Storey Fall

      Half-Dozen Fires Burn Together To Create One Huge Blaze: BC Wildfire Service

      Half-Dozen Fires Burn Together To Create One Huge Blaze: BC Wildfire Service
      The wildfire service says at least six fires in an area west of Quesnel in central B.C. have burned together to create a single fire that is about 4,700 square kilometres in size.

      Half-Dozen Fires Burn Together To Create One Huge Blaze: BC Wildfire Service

      Suspicious Death In Surrey, IHIT Investigating

      Suspicious Death In Surrey, IHIT Investigating
      IHIT did not say what kind of injuries the person had suffered or if the incident was targeted.

      Suspicious Death In Surrey, IHIT Investigating

      Montreal's India Day Parade: Clad In Kurta-Pyjama Justin Trudeau Chants 'JAI HIND', Wins Hearts

      Montreal's India Day Parade: Clad In Kurta-Pyjama Justin Trudeau Chants 'JAI HIND', Wins Hearts
      Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wowed the crowd at the India Day Unity Parade in Montreal by appearing in a purple kurta and concluding his speech with “Jai Hind”.

      Montreal's India Day Parade: Clad In Kurta-Pyjama Justin Trudeau Chants 'JAI HIND', Wins Hearts

      PrevNext