Saturday, June 20, 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

      Compromise Proposed In Dispute Over Police Presence In Vancouver Pride Parade

      VANCOUVER — Organizers behind Vancouver's Pride Parade have countered demands that police be banned from marching in the city's annual event by suggesting that officers show up in fewer numbers and leave their uniforms at home.

      Compromise Proposed In Dispute Over Police Presence In Vancouver Pride Parade

      Air Canada Plane Slides Off Runway In Foggy Toronto's Pearson Airport, No One Injured

      Air Canada Plane Slides Off Runway In Foggy Toronto's Pearson Airport, No One Injured
      Passengers on board flight AC 623 are feeling unsettled after a shaky landing that happened early Saturday morning. As Erica Vella reports, the weather conditions could have been a factor in the plane's rocky landing.

      Air Canada Plane Slides Off Runway In Foggy Toronto's Pearson Airport, No One Injured

      Social Worker Wants 'Alex Alerts' To Protect At-Risk Children From Vanishing

      Social Worker Wants 'Alex Alerts' To Protect At-Risk Children From Vanishing
      Emil and Rodica Radita were found guilty Friday of first-degree murder of the 15-year-old, who weighed just 37 pounds when he died.

      Social Worker Wants 'Alex Alerts' To Protect At-Risk Children From Vanishing

      Thousands In Custom Motorcycles, Equipment, Forfeited To B.c. Government

      Thousands In Custom Motorcycles, Equipment, Forfeited To B.c. Government
      WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — The Solicitor General's Ministry says a man behind a large stolen vehicle and parts operation in West Kelowna, B.C., will hand over motorcycles, vehicle parts and equipment to the province's Civil Forfeiture Office.

      Thousands In Custom Motorcycles, Equipment, Forfeited To B.c. Government

      Yazidi Refugee Effort Proof That Government Listens And Can Work: Rona Ambrose

      Yazidi Refugee Effort Proof That Government Listens And Can Work: Rona Ambrose
      At a time when people are losing faith in democratic institutions, the ability of opposition and government to come together to do what was right for Yazidis is proof the system can work, she said. 

      Yazidi Refugee Effort Proof That Government Listens And Can Work: Rona Ambrose

      Woman, Her Mother And 2 Kids Die In Collision On Highway West Of Timmins, Ont.

      Woman, Her Mother And 2 Kids Die In Collision On Highway West Of Timmins, Ont.
      Ontario Provincial Police say the four members of a Chapleau, Ont., family died in a collision Thursday morning on Highway 101 in northeastern Ontario.

      Woman, Her Mother And 2 Kids Die In Collision On Highway West Of Timmins, Ont.

      PrevNext