Heavy rain has triggered evacuation orders and alerts, highway closures and flood warnings across parts of B.C., including the Sea-to-Sky region and Vancouver Island.
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Continued heavy rain across British Columbia has prompted evacuation orders and alerts, flooding restrictions and weather warnings, with officials citing high river levels in the Sea-to-Sky region and parts of the south coast and Vancouver Island.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Village of Pemberton issued an evacuation order for properties on Airport Road, citing flooding and “high-risk river levels” affecting the community’s airport, wastewater treatment facility, wildland fire management base and a public golf course. On Wednesday night, the Electoral Area C portion of the valley and the village were placed under an evacuation alert, with residents in that area told to shelter in place.
Lilʼwat Nation expanded an evacuation order and alert for an area stretching from Kwetsa7 along the Lillooet River corridor to Lillooet Lake.
Flooding also affected highway access: a portion of Highway 99 was closed from Rancheree Road, east of Pemberton, due to flooding.
The River Forecast Centre placed the Sea-to-Sky corridor and the Pemberton Valley under a flood warning. Jen Ford, chair of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, said the Pemberton Valley’s rivers had seen increased water flows and that crews were working to keep people safe as water levels continued to be uncertain.
Elsewhere, the Strathcona Regional District issued a water conservation notice for the village of Sayward on Vancouver Island after high flows in Newcastle Creek led to extra sediment in the water.
On northwest Vancouver Island, an evacuation order due to flooding and landslide risks remained in place for about 30 properties in the village of Zeballos.
Orange rainfall warnings remained in effect for west and inland Vancouver Island, while a yellow rainfall warning applied to the Sunshine Coast and parts of east Vancouver Island. Environment Canada said several locations recorded 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).
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