Flooding, mudslides and rockslides have wreaked havoc across southern B.C., closing highways, prompting widespread evacuations and leaving motorists stranded.
On Highway 7 near Agassiz, provincial officials told reporters on Monday morning that 80 to 100 vehicles have been trapped all night between two landslides in Agassiz.
The local fire department had called for help at 10 p.m. on Sunday, which prompted the deployment of the Vancouver-based Canada Task Force 1, the heavy urban search-and-rescue team that has personnel with all kinds of emergency backgrounds.
Team leader Assistant Fire Chief David Boone, along with 35 members, arrived at 2 a.m.
His crews were up all night and getting some rest Monday morning because they can’t do anything but plan, he said, due to falling debris.
A state of emergency has been issued for the District of Kent.
In Merritt, Princeton and Abbotsford, heavy and continuous rain have forced evacuations.
An evacuation order has been issued for the entire City of Merritt due to flooding concerns.
Residents have been told to register as the evacuation centre in Kamloops.
Flooding in Abbotsford has also led to evacuation alerts throughout the city, including Eagle Mountain and the Dawson Road area, where debris and runoff from a landslide are affecting nearly 50 homes. An evacuation centre has been set up at the Abbotsford Recreation Area on McMillan Road.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has also issued an evacuation order for 34 addresses in Electoral Area H due to rising levels of the Tulameen River.
Residents and visitors are advised to stay clear of floodwaters.
All public schools in Mission and in Chilliwack are also closed because of the weather.
A reminder to drivers Monday morning that all major east-west routes in and out of the Lower Mainland remain closed.
The Trans-Canada Highway to Alberta, between Revelstoke and Golden, was closed due to flooding and related mudslides and debris.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District also closed Lynn Headwaters Park Monday in North Vancouver because of hazardous conditions, the rising level of Lynn Creek, and high winds expected Monday afternoon.
There is no estimate on how many homes have been destroyed at this time, the province said Monday afternoon.
There have been no confirmations yet of any fatalities connected to the ongoing storms and mudslides across the province.