Hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces members are heading to interior British Columbia to help evacuate and respond to the extreme flooding.
Minister of National Defence Anita Anand said Thursday there are 350 CAF personnel ready to be deployed from Edmonton to the hardest-hit areas of southern B.C.
By the end of the day, Anand said, 120 soldiers — IRU Vanguard Company out of Edmonton — will be on the ground in Abbotsford.
The remainder of that immediate response unit, comprised of 240 soldiers in Edmonton, will move into B.C. when road access is determined in consultation with local authorities.
“If needed, we have thousands more members on standby,” she said, adding military assistance could be both air and ground support.
Gen. Wayne D. Eyre, acting chief of the Defence Staff, said the exact roles of that 240-member Edmonton convey are still being determined.
“Those details will be worked out by the reconnaissance team,” he said, adding they will bring trucks and any additional capabilities that the reconnaissance team determines are necessary.
In the 48 hours leading up to the CAF request for assistance, the Royal Canadian Armed Forces rescued more than 300 stranded motorists using Cormorant helicopters from CFB Comox, Anand said.
On Wednesday night, a military reconnaissance team was deployed with provincial officials to assess the damage and the immediate needs.
There is a Griffon helicopter and a Cyclone helicopter providing air support. Two Chinook helicopters will be heading to the region from Petawawa when weather conditions permit, the federal government said Thursday afternoon.
The current focus is rescue and recovery, government officials said.
B.C. Premier John Horgan declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after flooding devastated the southern part of the province.
Washouts and landslides have halted railway access to the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest maritime hub, which handles $240 billion of trade in goods annually. Torrential rains have also cut off major transport routes between B.C.’s Lower Mainland and the Interior.
Anand said the military received a request for assistance this week.
She said this is the 12th request for assistance the CAF has responded to for natural disasters since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, the military has responded to 71 COVID-related requests for assistance.
“Over the next 30 days, and longer if needed, the Canadian Armed Forces will be there to help the people of B.C. through this crisis,” Anand said.
That support will include evacuations, assistance, support for critical supply chains, assessing the impact of flooding, planning relief efforts, and protecting critical infrastructure like roads and property.