The risk of flooding has prompted more evacuation orders for residents in the Village of Cache Creek, B.C., as higher temperatures quickly melt of mountain snowpacks. In his latest order, Mayor John Ranta says about two dozen more properties have to evacuate due to the immediate danger caused by flooding of the Bonaparte River. Cache…

Regions of Canada are either bracing for floods or already experiencing flooding as warm weather melts the accumulated winter snow. The Weather Network forecast “warmer-than-normal” temperatures for the week of April 10. Tyler Hamilton, a meteorologist, said on April 8 that almost every region in Canada was likely to see the thermometer rise due to a…

Canada’s emergency preparedness minister is returning to the epicentre of flooding that devastated British Columbia’s Fraser Valley in November 2021. Bill Blair, along with B.C. Minister of Emergency Management Bowinn Ma and Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens, is set to take part in an announcement today on federal disaster recovery funding for the province. A series…

Two residents of Sumas Prairie in the Abbotsford, B.C., area near the Canada-U.S. border have launched a class action lawsuit against three levels of government seeking damages for losses caused by flooding last November. In mid-November 2021, southern B.C. was hit by heavy rains that led to two breaches of the Sumas dike, causing the…

VANCOUVER—A major highway linking Metro Vancouver and southern British Columbia to the rest of the province has reopened about a month after severe flooding damaged the route in several areas. The B.C. government says in a release the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt reopened just after 8:30 a.m. on Monday to commercial traffic and…

VANCOUVER, Wash.—The mayor of a British Columbia community devastated by last month’s floods says finding winter housing for displaced residents is his top priority with recovery efforts underway. Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne said about 300 people from the area are still on evacuation order and about one third of them will need accommodation. “We want…

VANCOUVER—A panel of engineers says better forecasting and co-ordination could help prepare British Columbia for natural disasters, while they warn the spring thaw and rain could compound damage caused by recent floods. The engineers from the University of British Columbia shared their preliminary observations from November’s floods today, with geotechnical engineer Jonathan Fannin warning that…

VANCOUVER—Parts of British Columbia’s tourism industry are facing another uphill battle with an uncertain recovery horizon after this year’s damaging storms. Some attractions and landmarks were seriously damaged by flooding in November, while highways mangled by mudslides mean some operators will go without the typical holiday bump to their bottom line. Walt Judas, CEO of…

ABBOTSFORD, B.C.—The federal agriculture minister and her provincial counterpart said they were both moved to tears hearing about the devastation farmers endured in British Columbia’s recent floods and how those same people found the strength to help each other. Marie-Claude Bibeau was joined by her provincial counterpart Lana Popham on Friday for a tour of…

VICTORIA—Restoration companies and contractors in British Columbia that are about to help launch a massive flood cleanup and repair effort must be aware of the risks and hazards their work could pose to employees, says the province’s worker protection agency. The risks may be different depending on the flood and slide damage, but potential problems…