Monday, June 29, 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

      Citizen Panel Calls On Ottawa To Provide Universal Pharmacare Plan For Canadians

      Citizen Panel Calls On Ottawa To Provide Universal Pharmacare Plan For Canadians
      Representatives of the Citizens' Reference Panel on Pharmacare in Canada will deliver their recommendations Tuesday to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health.

      Citizen Panel Calls On Ottawa To Provide Universal Pharmacare Plan For Canadians

      Supervised-Consumption Services Proposed For Surrey, B.C., To Stem Overdoses

      Supervised-Consumption Services Proposed For Surrey, B.C., To Stem Overdoses
      Strong evidence from Vancouver's Insite suggests providing people with a place to inject drugs reduces overdoses and the transmission of diseases.

      Supervised-Consumption Services Proposed For Surrey, B.C., To Stem Overdoses

      Loud Explosions Heard In Downtown Vancouver

      Vancouver Police also said they did receive a number of calls about the loud bangs but they don’t know the cause or the reason behind them.

      Loud Explosions Heard In Downtown Vancouver

      Vancouver Canucks Forward Derek Dorsett Set To Undergo Neck Surgery

      Vancouver Canucks Forward Derek Dorsett Set To Undergo Neck Surgery
      Vancouver Canucks forward Derek Dorsett is set to undergo neck surgery, the club announced Monday.

      Vancouver Canucks Forward Derek Dorsett Set To Undergo Neck Surgery

      Vancouver To Help Homeowners Become Landlords In Leadup To Empty Homes Tax

      Vancouver To Help Homeowners Become Landlords In Leadup To Empty Homes Tax
      Vancouver wants to make it easier for homeowners to become landlords ahead of an empty homes tax designed to put more properties on the rental market.

      Vancouver To Help Homeowners Become Landlords In Leadup To Empty Homes Tax

      Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson's National Profile On The Rise In Pipeline Debate

      Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson's National Profile On The Rise In Pipeline Debate
      While a litany of local politicians, First Nations and environmental groups have come out in opposition to Trans Mountain, some observers predict Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson will emerge as a key figure in the fight to block the $6.8-billion initiative.

      Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson's National Profile On The Rise In Pipeline Debate

      PrevNext