As some major highways in British Columbia reopened to limited traffic on Thursday, an advance team of Canadian soldiers arrived, but officials said the situation remained critical following floods and mudslides that forced evacuations, blocked transportation routes, and killed at least one person and thousands of farm animals.
The good news, according to Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, is that the heavy rain has stopped and no further heavy rain is predicted for the remainder of the week. After record rains flooded most of the province's south for more than 48 hours, British Columbia's leader, John Horgan, has declared a state of emergency, SFGate reported.
Thousands remain stranded in Canada's massive floods
One person has been confirmed dead following a landslide that washed vehicles off a road in Pemberton, and the number of persons thought to be missing at the scene has risen to four, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Mike Farnworth, the province's public safety minister, stated during a press conference this afternoon that the cost of rebuilding damage to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure will be "significant."
The death toll from enormous floods and landslides that wreaked havoc on portions of British Columbia is expected to grow, with the Canadian province declaring a state of emergency on Wednesday and the federal government providing significant assistance.
After severe rains and mudslides devastated roads and cut off many mountain settlements, authorities have verified one death, NY Post reported. There are at least three persons who have gone missing. According to Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, 18,000 people have been relocated in the Pacific Coast province.
Floods and mudslides also cut off access to Vancouver, the country's main port, upsetting already stressed global supply networks. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government will assist the province in recovering from the "terrible, terrible disaster," as he described it.
Hundreds of air force troops are being sent from Ottawa to assist with the recovery, and "thousands more are on standby," Trudeau told reporters in Washington ahead of a US-Canada-Mexico meeting on Thursday.
Flood-hit British Columbia's residents prompted to panic buy
Some of the settlements that have been impacted are located in isolated mountain locations with restricted access and cold weather. Up to 400 people are stuck in Tulameen, northeast of Vancouver, with many without electricity, according to Erick Thompson, a spokesperson for the area's emergency operations.
Food was running out in Hope, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Vancouver. According to Pastor Jeff Kuhn, a fifth of the town's 6,000 citizens were looking for a place to stay. Narinder Singh Walia, head of the Dukh Nivaran Sahib Gurdwara Sikh temple in Surrey said approximately 100 volunteers spent all night Tuesday making nearly 3,000 meals and then rented helicopters to bring the food to Hope.
According to industry groups, shoppers in Canada's flood-hit province of British Columbia have emptied supermarket shelves as a result of catastrophic flooding, however the shortages are due as much to panic buying as to damaged supply lines. Even after the floodwaters recede, certain sections of the province are anticipated to see temporary dairy shortages, with shopkeepers and government urging patience, as per SCMP.
On Thursday afternoon, a police vehicle guided a convoy of four Save-On-Foods delivery trucks over a roadblock on Highway 7, which was devastated by mudslides during the storm, to reach the isolated town of Hope.
Following record-breaking rain over southern British Columbia between Saturday and Monday, every major highway between the Lower Mainland, where Canada's third biggest city, Vancouver, is located, and the province's interior has been closed off by washouts, flooding, or landslides. Late Monday, a woman's body was discovered in one of the mudslides.
Related Article : Washington-Canada Flooding: Days of Heavy Rainfall Kill 1, Hundreds of Victims Rescued
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