Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
While flood water from Whiteman’s Creek on Okanagan Indian Band land, near Vernon, B.C., have receded, the waterway is still running very high and the evacuation order for adjacent homes was expanded overnight. Megan Turcato has more on the damage already done and why the area isn’t out of danger yet.
Residents of several properties in B.C.'s North Okanagan were ordered to evacuate their homes as a nearby creek overflowed Tuesday. Officials say they're concerned about the flood risk associated with Whiteman's Creek, close to where it empties into Okanagan Lake about 70 kilometres north of Kelowna, B.C. According to the Okanagan Indian Band, which issued the evacuation order, residents on the south side of Falcon Avenue, adjacent to Whiteman's Creek, must leave their properties immediately. This includes people living at addresses 161 to 195 Falcon Avenue, as well as Nos. 54 and 55.
A couple with an infant son who fled their home after a toxic train derailment in Ohio earlier this month are not convinced it's safe to return home, despite what state officials have said. The Feb. 3 derailment prompted officials to evacuate hundreds of people from their homes in the town of East Palestine amid fears that a hazardous, highly flammable material might ignite.
The Manitoba government has extended its state of emergency declaration in Whiteshell Provincial Park as water levels remain higher than normal. Although conditions have improved on the Winnipeg River and many lakes and streams, some areas of the southeastern Manitoba park remain hazardous, the province's Environment, Climate and Parks department said in a news release Friday. The original state of emergency declaration was set to expire June 19. The new one will expire on July 18, although it could be rescinded before then if it is no longer needed.
The Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine has issued an evacuation order for three small communities near Terrace as the Skeena River continues to rise after a weekend of heavy rain and snowmelt. Residents of Old Remo, New Remo, and Usk were told to leave their homes by 8 p.m. PT Sunday. The district issued an evacuation alert on Thursday. The communities, built on low-lying flood plains, have faced flood crises over the past two decades. Old Remo was flooded in 2002, 2007 and 2017, seeing roads washed out and dozens of homes evacuated.
Resort owner Amy Vereb says she will be one of many people in the Whiteshell staying behind to protect their properties from rising floodwaters after an expanded evacuation order goes into effect Tuesday. "There's lots of us out here that this is all we have, and I just don't think that people realize that," said Vereb, who owns Otter Falls Resort. "This isn't just cottage country."
After close to two weeks, water is finally receding in Peguis First Nation, but officials say the community isn't out of the woods yet. Those who have stayed in the community in Manitoba's Interlake through the worst of this spring's flooding there are tired, but happy to see the water starting to go down. That includes Kim Sutherland, whose family spent the last week and a half working nearly 24/7 to save their home, using six pumps and a Tiger Dam — a series of water-filled tubes that create a barrier to hold the floodwaters back.
On Nov. 15, 2021, Kevin Vilac’s phone started ringing at 4 a.m. He was needed at work — urgently. The Coldwater River in B.C. had breached its banks and threatened to overwhelm the city of Merritt’s wastewater treatment plant. Vilac, the chief water operator for the city, rushed to the site to find the lower level of the plant inundated with water. “The worst flood I’d been through prior to this was the flood in 2018 from the Nicola River, and in comparison, it was nothing. It was a mere trickle compared to what we just went through,” he says.
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 to keep people in the community," he said. "If we move people out of the community, they're not going to be able to work and that's going to add another layer of stress and obstacles to overcome."
Unprecedented flooding in southwest British Columbia last month has left hard-hit communities dealing with the disposal of debris like drywall, insulation, silt-soaked mattresses, couches and kitchen cupboards damaged by water that gutted homes and businesses. Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun said a second waste transfer station is expected to open for "mountains" of trash left outside homes after record rainfall killed thousands of livestock and devastated a prime agricultural area of the province.
Hundreds more flood evacuees are being allowed to return home to the Sumas Prairie area of Abbotsford, B.C., as the city continues cleaning up from last month's catastrophic flooding. Mayor Henry Braun announced Wednesday that rapid damage assessments have been completed for houses, barns and garages in the southern Sumas Prairie, allowing officials to lift an evacuation order for 400 properties.
A series of atmospheric rivers hit southern B.C. in November, causing evacuations, widespread flooding and mudslides. Watch this file for updates with the latest on the recovery effort. Highway 1 has been fully reopened between Abbotsford and Hope, said the transportation ministry Tuesday. WorkSafeBC is reminding employers and contractors to watch out for hazardous materials during post-flood recovery.
Some Abbotsford residents will be able to return home after the city lifted an evacuation order for a portion of the Sumas Prairie as part of a "Return Home" plan unveiled on Friday. In a news conference, Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun lifted an evacuation order for around 240 properties in the north of the city effective immediately, as floodwaters dropped 12 inches — 30 centimetres — over the past 24 hours in the Sumas Prairie.
More residents of Merritt, B.C. will potentially be able to return home by the weekend, while others are being permitted limited daily access to their property as the area remains under an evacuation order. In a news release on Thursday, the City of Merritt said successful flood mitigation efforts prevented further flooding during three major rain storms that battered southwestern B.C. this past week, allowing officials to move forward with their "Return Home Plan."
The town’s water system is down to one line across the Tulameen River, and pressure for the system is depending on two fire hoses. A new water line is currently being constructed, drilling underneath the Tulameen River. “The challenge is, mostly, there’s a cobble situation, so it’s more challenging than most drilling,” said Greg Truman, an Ironman Directional Drilling project manager. Ironman Directional Drilling has been contracted to construct the new water line. Truman said it’s rewarding work for a community that needs help.
In the days following the catastrophic flooding in the southern part of B.C., including Abbotsford, receding water left behind a trail of garbage and debris in its path. Now, community volunteers are gathering to help with the cleanup. "We weren't affected for our house, but we want to help the community as much as we can," said Melissa Lippmann, who brought her husband and daughter to help pick up trash and litter at a blueberry farm in the area.
Karl Meier has spent days battling to save his property and dairy cattle from flooding in British Columbia's Fraser Valley, but he says the biggest issue right now is with local law enforcement. "It was bad enough we had to fight the water, but now we've got to fight someone against what we're trying to do," said Meier. Meier owns U & D Meier Dairy in the Sumas Prairie region of Abbotsford, about 100 kilometres east of Vancouver. The area is under an evacuation order because of flooding in the nearby Sumas River. Police-enforced roadblocks have been set up around the area to prevent people from coming or going. Meier said this is making it difficult for people to bring in supplies to the farmers who have chosen to stay to protect their business and their animals.
Water levels in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., dropped to 9.25 metres Sunday morning, and Mayor Sean Whelly said residents are heading back to their properties for the first time since an evacuation order was issued last weekend. More than 700 people were displaced and evacuated to higher ground or neighbouring communities as water levels grew to new extremes in the community, which rests at the intersection of the Mackenzie and Liard rivers. At one point, the water had swelled as high as 16 metres. "We're just telling people, go on down, it's time to check on your property and please let us know what damage has occurred," said Whelly.
An estimated 700 people have been displaced from their homes in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., the mayor said Monday morning, after the community of about 1,200 was flooded during seasonal ice breakup over the weekend. "There's basically people all over the place," Mayor Sean Whelly told CBC Radio's The Trailbreaker. "They're down the highway, some of them with motorhomes, camps — setting up a bush camp, and things like that." He said other residents have gone to stay with relatives or friends.
The sirens sounded for a second time in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., just before 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, signalling that water levels along the Mackenzie River had reached 15 metres. That triggered a final evacuation order for people who live on the island, which is home to about sixty per cent of Simpson's 1,200 residents. Emergency operation support staff will now go door to door to help anyone needing transportation to the recreation centre, where people are asked to register before moving on.
