Evacuation order issued for parts of Pemberton Valley amid rising floodwaters

The Squamish Lillooet Regional District  issued evacuation orders for multiple properties in the Pemberton Valley on Saturday night due to rising floodwaters.

It comes amid rapid snow melt, hastened by blistering heats in the region.

The BC River Forecast Centre has issued a flood watch for the Lillooet River and its tributaries, including Pemberton, Lillooet Lake and Harrison Lake.

2:21 Increased concern for drought and wildfires in B.C. this summer and climate change is playing a role

“High temperatures will increase substantially the snowmelt and glacier melt which will cause river levels to rise significantly in the coming days,” it said.

The centre forecast that waters would peak on July 1 for most parts of the river on Thursday, while Harrison Lake near Harrison Hot Springs could peak Thursday to Friday.

People are being advised to keep well back from fast-flowing rivers and unstable river banks.

Pemberton area residents who need emergency accommodations were directed to the Pemberton Community Centre, or to call the SLRD emergency operations centre information officer at 604-894-6371 with other urgent enquiries.

The evacuation order applies to the following properties:

• Street address numbers from 1830 to 2162 on Sea to Sky Hwy 99
• Street address numbers from 7294 to 7348 on Clover Road
• Street address numbers from 7912 to 8184 on Pemberton Meadows Road
• Street address numbers from 8035 to 8037 on Ryan Creek Road