Groups evacuated, highways wiped away as constant rain strikes BC

Key takeaways: 

• The whole town of Merritt is instructed to clear as water extents increase, wastewater systems breaks. 
• The constant rains resulted in widespread destruction throughout BC’s Fraser Valley. 
• The Lower Mainland and into Vancouver Island, with a state of emergency being announced in Abbotsford. 

Relentless rains result in evacuations in the city of Merritt: 

Heft rains struck southern British Columbia on Monday, forcing the clearance of the whole town, wiping out major highways and quitting numerous groups cut off from the remaining of the region. 

Sections of the region have seen as much as 252 millimetres of rain in just 48 hours, and rainfall, snowfall, winter storm and wind alerts remain in outcome over most o southern BC. 

Environment Canada is forecasting winds blustering up to 90 kilometres per hour on Monday evening. 

Also read: Coquihalla Highway and parts of Highway 1 blocked as utmost flood injury

In a press conference Monday afternoon, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth stated situations are still in flux. Mudslide and debris flows have wiped out sections of Highway 1 and the Coquihalla Highway, and flooding has forced individuals from their houses in various groups. 

“People in Merritt, Princeton and zones across Highway 7 and 99 and the Coquihalla are seeing the worst of it,” he stated. Source – cbc.ca

“I would like to thank everyone who is affected for your patience, power and for doing everything you can to stay safe. As I explained this morning, the condition is dynamic and further rains, high winds and possible snow in zones are compounding the condition.” Source – cbc.ca

Citizens of Merritt, some 180 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, were instructed to clear at about 10 am PT on Monday. The Town authorities stated the municipal wastewater treatment project in the group had failed. Citizens were requested not to utilize water in their houses, including flushing toilets and running faucets.