Tuesday, July 7, 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

      Iraqi Government Delayed Deployment Of Canadian Military Hospital: Harjit Sajjan

      Iraqi Government Delayed Deployment Of Canadian Military Hospital: Harjit Sajjan
      OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is blaming the Iraqi government for holding up a Canadian military hospital that was supposed to be available to treat casualties during the attack on Mosul, which started last week.

      Iraqi Government Delayed Deployment Of Canadian Military Hospital: Harjit Sajjan

      Ontario Man Accused In Cyber Sex Abuse Case Ordered Extradited, Plans Appeal

      Ontario Man Accused In Cyber Sex Abuse Case Ordered Extradited, Plans Appeal
      A lawyer for Marco (Mark) Viscomi says a Superior Court judge in Toronto issued the extradition order on Tuesday.

      Ontario Man Accused In Cyber Sex Abuse Case Ordered Extradited, Plans Appeal

      Teenager Attacked, Sexually Assaulted And Forced Into A Winnipeg River Recalls Darkness And Pain

      Teenager Attacked, Sexually Assaulted And Forced Into A Winnipeg River Recalls Darkness And Pain
      A teenager who was beaten, sexually assaulted and forced into a Winnipeg river told her attacker Tuesday she continues to suffer the physical and emotional pain of an attack that almost claimed her life.

      Teenager Attacked, Sexually Assaulted And Forced Into A Winnipeg River Recalls Darkness And Pain

      Kellie Johnson, Saskatoon Woman Found Not Criminally Responsible In Five-year-old Son's Death

      Kellie Johnson, Saskatoon Woman Found Not Criminally Responsible In Five-year-old Son's Death
      SASKATOON — A Saskatoon woman has been found not criminally responsible in the death of her five-year-old son.    

      Kellie Johnson, Saskatoon Woman Found Not Criminally Responsible In Five-year-old Son's Death

      Dismembered Body Found In Langley, B.C.

      Dismembered Body Found In Langley, B.C.
      Langley RCMP are investigating the discovery of a body this morning.

      Dismembered Body Found In Langley, B.C.

      B.C. Called On To Release Province-wide Statistics On Police-Dog Bites

      B.C. Called On To Release Province-wide Statistics On Police-Dog Bites
      VANCOUVER — A legal advocacy group is calling on the British Columbia government to release newly gathered statistics about the use of police dogs in the province.

      B.C. Called On To Release Province-wide Statistics On Police-Dog Bites

      PrevNext