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

      Former Asylum Seeker Steadfast About Clearing His Name Looks To Supreme Court

      Former Asylum Seeker Steadfast About Clearing His Name Looks To Supreme Court
      Writing for a three-judge panel, Justice Mark Noel of the Federal Appeal Court scuttled Jose Figueroa's most recent court bid to receive a certificate from Canada's minister of foreign affairs declaring that the man is not a terrorist.

      Former Asylum Seeker Steadfast About Clearing His Name Looks To Supreme Court

      Manitoba Reducing Ambulance Fees To $425, Still Among Highest In Canada

      Manitoba Reducing Ambulance Fees To $425, Still Among Highest In Canada
      Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen says ambulance fees will go down to $425 or the base fee charged by the service provider if it is lower.

      Manitoba Reducing Ambulance Fees To $425, Still Among Highest In Canada

      Brain And Arm Implants Help Paralyzed US Man Feed Himself

      Brain And Arm Implants Help Paralyzed US Man Feed Himself
      LONDON — A paralyzed man was able to feed himself for the first time in eight years, after doctors implanted sensors in his brain that sent signals to his arm.

      Brain And Arm Implants Help Paralyzed US Man Feed Himself

      Doctor Tells Inquest Woman Killed In Laundry Chute Fall Went Down Feet First

      Doctor Tells Inquest Woman Killed In Laundry Chute Fall Went Down Feet First
      REGINA — A doctor says the injuries of a woman who died after falling 10 storeys through a Regina hotel's laundry chute suggest she probably went down feet first, though he admits there's a possibility she went backwards and head first.

      Doctor Tells Inquest Woman Killed In Laundry Chute Fall Went Down Feet First

      Manitoba RCMP Investigate Animals Found Dead Without Their Ears

      Manitoba RCMP Investigate Animals Found Dead Without Their Ears
      Brandon RCMP say three coyotes and a raccoon were discovered in the same area where a pony's remains were found a few days ago.

      Manitoba RCMP Investigate Animals Found Dead Without Their Ears

      Wandering Child No Excuse For Police To Search Home, Appeal Court Rules

      Wandering Child No Excuse For Police To Search Home, Appeal Court Rules
      While officers said they went into the home in Barrie, Ont., to check that the child would be safe, the Court of Appeal found that to be a ruse. What they did, the court found, amounted to an illegal search and a breach of Harley Davidson's rights.

      Wandering Child No Excuse For Police To Search Home, Appeal Court Rules

      PrevNext