A state of local emergency and an evacuation order have been issued for parts of Zeballos on Vancouver Island because of flooding and potential landslide risks.
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Parts of Zeballos, a village of about 125 people on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, are under an evacuation order due to flooding and potential landslide risk.
The Strathcona Regional District said the evacuation order affects properties on Pandora Crescent and Maquinna Avenue, while an evacuation alert covers three addresses on Ferris Road. Residents in the Pandora, Gold Valley and Reno roads area were encouraged to shelter in place and remain in their homes.
Emergency Info B.C. said there is a potential risk to life and safety and that anyone in the order area must evacuate immediately. The district said its emergency operations centre has been activated and that it is actively monitoring flooding and potential landslide risks.
Ehattesaht First Nation Chief Simon John said heavy rain began in the middle of the night and flooding started early Friday morning. He described the area as being flooded within hours, saying he was told by a neighbour about 3 a.m. that houses were being flooded.
John said crews had since diverted the water and that less was coming down, but he warned of a big debris blockage above the homes that could release. He also linked the flooding to a wildfire that burned the mountainside above Zeballos in 2018, damaging the slope leading down to the village.
John said about 140 millimetres of rain had fallen in the region over roughly 12 hours. He noted that the Zeballos River was walkable the previous week but was “right full” after the rainfall.
Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for several parts of Vancouver Island, including Zeballos, describing it as the first potent storm in a series of wet and windy weather systems affecting the B.C. Coast into next week.
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