11-15-2021 , 10:52 PM
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c...-1.6249154
Quote:Relentless rain causing flooding, road closures and evacuations across B.C.
Entire city of Merritt ordered to evacuate as water levels rise, wastewater system fails
CBC News · Posted: Nov 15, 2021 7:45 AM PT | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago A road is completely submerged during flooding in Abbotsford, B.C., on Monday. Rainfall warnings remain in effect across southern B.C., with Environment Canada expecting up to another 50 millimetres for areas that have experienced relentless rain since Saturday. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Rain continues to batter British Columbia on Monday, forcing the evacuation of an entire city and leaving many communities cut off from the rest of the province because of road closures.
Rainfall warnings remain in effect across southern B.C., with Environment Canada expecting up to another 50 millimetres for areas that have experienced relentless rain since Saturday.
Mudslides and localized flooding have caused chaos in communities across the province, including the city of Merritt, where all residents were ordered to evacuate at about 10 a.m. PT on Monday. The City of Merritt also said on Monday that the municipal wastewater treatment plant in the community had failed. Residents were asked not to use water in their homes, including flushing toilets and running taps.
The city has requested that all gas stations remain open for residents now leaving the city. Reception centres are open in Kelowna and Kamloops.The city of Merritt, whose streets are currently swimming in water, says flooding has caused the municipal wastewater treatment plant to fail. It's warning all residents not to use water in their homes. (Bailee Allen )
At about midnight Monday morning, the Tulameen River breached the dykes in the town of Princeton, where so far 290 households have evacuated and 100 more are on alert.
Mayor Spencer Coyne said half of the downtown core has flooded and that residents with homes in the area built at ground level have water halfway up their front doors.
Entire city of Merritt ordered to evacuate after flooding of wastewater treatment plant
"Nobody's ever seen a flood like this in their collective memories," said Coyne, who estimates the river was more than 3.5 metres deep when the dykes could no longer contain it.
Princeton residents are under a boil water advisory and are also being asked not to flush toilets to reduce pressure on the local wastewater system. Flooding in Princeton, B.C., early Monday. (Submitted by Misty Oceanna)
An evacuation order has been issued by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen for 34 properties, as the Tulameen River continues to rise dangerously high.
In the Fraser Valley, the city of Abbotsford declared a local state of emergency late Monday morning because of severe flooding in some areas. An evacuation order has been issued for a small number of properties on Straiton Road in Abbotsford, while evacuation alerts are in effect for residents of several other areas.
The entire Fraser Valley region was placed on flood watch on Sunday, including areas around Hope. Rivers through the region, including the Coquihalla and Chilliwack rivers, are expected to remain high through Monday morning, with improvements expected in the afternoon as rainfall eases.
An evacuation order has also been issued for four properties in Electoral Area E in the Chilliwack River Valley.
A road is submerged in water during flooding in Abbotsford, B.C., on Nov. 15, 2021. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
People build snowmen, spend night in vehicles after more major delays on Highway 93
Tyler Hamilton, meteorologist with The Weather Network, told CBC News on Monday that an atmospheric river-fuelled storm from the Pacific has "really dug deep into the Fraser Valley."
He said he expects Hope will have been hit with more than 300 millimetres of rain by Monday afternoon. The community usually gets about 250 millimetres a month at this time of year.
"It's no wonder we are seeing rock slides, mudslides — the small creeks and tributaries that feed into the mighty Fraser River are just simply overwhelmed," Hamilton said.
A homeowner wades through water near her farmhouse during flooding in Abbotsford on Monday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Road conditions and closures
As of Monday afternoon, there are numerous closures and delays on B.C. highways. They include:
Highway 1 between Agassiz and Spences Bridge.
Highway 1 east of Golden.
Highway 5 between Hope and Merritt.
Highway 7 between Maple Ridge and Hope.
Highway 11 between Mission and Abbotsford.
Highway 3, which is closed in both directions due to a mudslide at Sunshine Valley, about 17 kilometres east of Hope.
Highway 3 north of Fernie.
Highway 99 south of Lillooet.
The Lower Mainland currently has no highway access to the rest of Canada after a mudslide approximately 42 km south of Lillooet closed Highway 99 just after 11 a.m.. There is no estimate yet for how long it will take to reopen the road. Officials believe there are 80 to 100 vehicles trapped on Highway 7 between Hope and Agassiz, with about two to three people in each vehicle.
Adam Wuisman says he's in one of them and estimates there are up to 300 vehicles stranded around him.
"Everybody's just pulled off to the side of the road and waiting for some sort of update," he told CBC's The Early Edition on Monday morning.