Premier Christy Clark toured flood-ravaged parts of the Peace Region Sunday afternoon, saying more has to be done to prepare for extreme weather events.
“When I was up in the Peace two months ago, the place was on fire,” she said. “And now it’s underwater. Really, we have to, across Canada, get used to the fact that weather events are getting more extreme. Climate change is having a big impact, so we have to adapt.”
On Sunday, Clark said the province is spending $65 million this year for flood mitigation and urged the federal government to do more.
Dawson Creek is in recovery mode as roads were ripped apart and the CN Rail line through town was washed out.
Clark said they will explore the possibility of building bridges to replace culvert systems that were damaged by the flood.
In Moberly Lake, northwest of town, Reg Whiten is stranded on his own property after raging floodwaters tore up the bridge he uses to get to his home.
“I had a bridge here, a beautiful steel bridge,” he said. “It didn’t last.”
The Moberly River remains under a flood warning today.
In other areas of Northeastern B.C., alerts have been downgraded to high stream flow advisories. People affected by the flooding will be able to learn about possible financial support at community meetings in Dawson Creek Monday and Chetwynd on Tuesday.
– With files from Justin McElroy and Kristen Robinson