Shelter-in-place advisory issued near Squamish, B.C., due to flooding from heavy rain

A shelter-in-place advisory has been issued for residents north of Vancouver, where roads are beginning to flood due to heavy rain triggering run-off from a local dam. The District of Squamish says BC Hydro has advised that flooding is expected due to rising dam discharge at Daisy Lake in the Paradise Valley area, about 80 kilometres north of Vancouver.

British Columbia’s emergency information system says on social media that Paradise Valley road has begun to flood and is unsafe for travel. It says residents in areas including Sunwolf Lodge and Cheekye Ranch should stay inside if they can.

The Village of Pemberton issued an evacuation order for properties on Airport Road, which includes the community’s airport, wastewater treatment facility, wildland fire management base and a public golf course due to flooding and “high-risk river levels.” On Wednesday night, the Electoral Area C portion of the valley and the village was put under evacuation alert. Residents are being told to shelter in place in that area.

Lilʼwat Nation has also expanded an evacuation order and alert for the area from Kwetsa7 along the Lillooet River corridor to Lillooet Lake.

A portion of Highway 99 is also closed from Rancheree Road, east of Pemberton, due to flooding. The B.C. Ministry of Transportation’s DriveBC website says Highway 99 east of Pemberton has been shut in both directions.

“We have high water marks being breached all over the valley,” Jen Ford, chair of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, told Global News.

The River Forecast Centre has put the Sea-to-Sky corridor and Pemberton Valley under a flood warning.

Elsewhere, the Strathcona Regional District issued a water conservation notice for the village of Sayward on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, as high flows in Newcastle Creek lead to extra sediment in the water. An evacuation order due to flooding and landslide risks remains in place for about 30 properties in the village of Zeballos on northwest Vancouver Island.

Environment Canada says several locations reported more than 100 millimetres of rain in the last 48 hours, including Kennedy Lake on Vancouver Island (248 mm), Port Alberni (123 mm), Porteau Cove on the Sea to Sky Highway (140 mm), Whistler (138 mm), and Squamish (134 mm).

Orange rainfall warnings remain in place for west and inland Vancouver Island. A less-severe yellow rainfall warning is active for the Sunshine Coast and parts of east Vancouver Island. An orange warning designation means severe storms are likely to cause significant damage and disruption.

Sources

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