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Shelter-in-place advisory issued near Squamish as heavy rain increases risk of flooding at Daisy Lake

Shelter-in-place advisory issued near Squamish as heavy rain increases risk of flooding at Daisy Lake

A shelter-in-place advisory was issued for parts of the Paradise Valley area north of Vancouver as heavy rain raised discharge levels at Daisy Lake and roads began to flood.

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A shelter-in-place advisory has been issued for residents in the Paradise Valley area, about 80 kilometres north of Vancouver, after heavy rain increased the risk of flooding.

The District of Squamish said BC Hydro has advised that flooding is expected due to rising dam discharge at Daisy Lake in Paradise Valley.

B.C.’s emergency information system says Paradise Valley Road has begun to flood and is unsafe for travel, adding that residents in areas including Sunwolf Lodge and Cheekye Ranch should stay inside if they can.

The advisory comes as a series of weather systems moved through southwestern B.C., with as much as 306 millimetres of rain falling at Port Mellon in the Howe Sound region since Tuesday.

The Village of Pemberton issued an evacuation order on Wednesday for an area affected by flooding and high-risk river levels, covering properties on Airport Road, including the community’s airport, wastewater treatment facility, wildland fire management base and a public golf course.

Lil’wat Nation has also expanded an evacuation order and alert for the area from Kwetsa7 along the Lillooet River corridor to Lillooet Lake.

On northwest Vancouver Island, an evacuation order due to flooding and landslide risks remains in place for about 30 properties in the village of Zeballos.

Elsewhere, the Strathcona Regional District issued a water conservation notice for the village of Sayward on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island due to high flows in Newcastle Creek leading to extra sediment in the water.

Some areas saw a lull in rain on Wednesday, while orange rainfall warnings remained in place for west and inland Vancouver Island and a yellow rainfall warning was active for the Sunshine Coast and parts of east Vancouver Island.

Environment Canada said several locations reported more than 100 millimetres of rain in the last 48 hours, including Kennedy Lake on Vancouver Island (248 mm), Port Alberni (123 mm), Porteau Cove on the Sea to Sky Highway (140 mm), Whistler (138 mm) and Squamish (134 mm).

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation’s DriveBC website says Highway 99 east of Pemberton has been shuttered due to flooding, and residents are being warned to use caution.

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