Wednesday, June 17, 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

      Police Suspect Fentanyl In Brantford, Ont., Overdose; Man Revived In Hospital

      Police in Brantford, Ont., say a man who overdosed after apparently unknowingly taking fentanyl has been revived in hospital.

      Police Suspect Fentanyl In Brantford, Ont., Overdose; Man Revived In Hospital

      2 Men Charged In Death Of A Goat In Northwestern Ontario

      2 Men Charged In Death Of A Goat In Northwestern Ontario
      RAINY RIVER, Ont. — Two Ontario men are facing charges in the death of a goat.

      2 Men Charged In Death Of A Goat In Northwestern Ontario

      Opposition Mps Seize On Aga Khan Vacation Again To Attack Trudeau, Liberals

      OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's controversial New Year's family vacation at the Aga Khan's private island in the Bahamas has opposition MPs riled up once again.

      Opposition Mps Seize On Aga Khan Vacation Again To Attack Trudeau, Liberals

      Special Code Unlocks Secret On The Bank Of Canada's New $10 Bill Website

      Special Code Unlocks Secret On The Bank Of Canada's New $10 Bill Website
      If visitors to the website enter the right series of keys, it plays the national anthem and fills the screen with a shower of tiny animated banknotes.

      Special Code Unlocks Secret On The Bank Of Canada's New $10 Bill Website

      Winnipeg Police Certain Woman Is Dead After Searching Accused's Home

      Winnipeg police say they have no idea where the body of a missing woman is, but say they knew she was dead when they searched the home of a man accused of murdering her.

      Winnipeg Police Certain Woman Is Dead After Searching Accused's Home

      Bank Gives Newfoundland Town Property Where Five-year-old Girl Found Dead

      Bank Gives Newfoundland Town Property Where Five-year-old Girl Found Dead
      A Toronto-based bank has given a small Newfoundland town the property where the body of a five-year-old girl was found after she was allegedly murdered while visiting her father.

      Bank Gives Newfoundland Town Property Where Five-year-old Girl Found Dead

      PrevNext