Tuesday, June 30, 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

      Canadian-U.S. Dual Citizen Who Allegedly Bilked Investors Extradited From Vietnam

      Canadian-U.S. Dual Citizen Who Allegedly Bilked Investors Extradited From Vietnam
      Federal prosecutors in Buffalo say 29-year-old Michael Wilson has been arraigned on wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges.

      Canadian-U.S. Dual Citizen Who Allegedly Bilked Investors Extradited From Vietnam

      Niagara Falls Lit Up On Dark Winter Nights

      Niagara Falls Lit Up On Dark Winter Nights
      A $3 million upgrade saw the installation of 1,400 new high-tech lights called luminaires that beam brighter and more vivid rainbows of light from Canada onto the famous waterfalls.

      Niagara Falls Lit Up On Dark Winter Nights

      Edmonton Conductor Finds Cat Nearly Frozen Under Train Engine, Brings Him Home

      Edmonton Conductor Finds Cat Nearly Frozen Under Train Engine, Brings Him Home
      A Canadian National Railway conductor was checking the engines on his train early Sunday in Wainwright, Alta., when he heard a pathetic cry.

      Edmonton Conductor Finds Cat Nearly Frozen Under Train Engine, Brings Him Home

      New Brunswick Government Recommends Winter Tires But Won't Make Them Mandatory

      New Brunswick Government Recommends Winter Tires But Won't Make Them Mandatory
      New Brunswick Public Safety Minister Denis Landry says while he encourages the use of winter tires, he has no plan to make their use mandatory

      New Brunswick Government Recommends Winter Tires But Won't Make Them Mandatory

      Conservative MP Ed Fast Recovering From Stroke In Abbotsford, B.C.

      The former international trade minister suffered from the medical emergency Saturday at his home in Abbotsford, B.C.

      Conservative MP Ed Fast Recovering From Stroke In Abbotsford, B.C.

      Stories From People Who Have Lost Loved Ones To Opioids

      Stories From People Who Have Lost Loved Ones To Opioids
      A gradual surge in lethal opioid overdoses shows no sign of slowing, and some experts say the worst is yet to come unless governments do more to counteract the deadly crisis.

      Stories From People Who Have Lost Loved Ones To Opioids

      PrevNext