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.
A consultant hired to review the former Liberal government's response to devastating spring flooding in 2018 found gaps in communication and public education. The report, written by consulting firm Calian Emergency Management Solutions, says some people found it difficult to find up-to-date information on road closures and struggled to understand why flood forecasting didn't always seem to match up with reality.
The Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine has issued evacuation orders for the communities of Old Remo and New Remo, which are on low-lying flood plains just west of Terrace, B.C. In a written statement, the district says it issued the evacuation orders because the flooding poses an imminent threat to people and properties in the two communities.
With the Edwards Lake siphon in place, that means the community has guaranteed water supply until early November, the SCRD's manager of infrastructure services Remko Rosenboom says. But, that comes with disquieting caveat: 'After Edwards, there are no defined, guaranteed supplies left.' As of mid-day on Oct. 5, siphons on Edwards Lake are set to start adding water to the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) Chapman water system. Testing was successfully completed and with regulatory approvals in place, the SCRD’s manager of infrastructure services Remko Rosenboom says that means the community has guaranteed water supply until early November.
As evacuation orders remain for hundreds of properties in southwest B.C., following catastrophic flooding that swept away houses and caused a municipality's wastewater system to fail — forcing its 7,000 residents to flee — experts say it's more important than ever to make homes flood resilient. This means exploring ways to mitigate property damage and better protect flood-vulnerable spaces in homes.
