Thousands of people had to be evacuated due to heavy precipitation in British Columbia.
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Torrential rains caused flooding and landslides in western Canada on Monday, November 15. Several cities in British Columbia are affected. Thousands of people have been evacuated and some are without electricity, hundreds more are stranded in their vehicles and an oil pipeline is at a standstill.
Several highways have been closed in areas already affected this summer by major forest fires. Tens of thousands of people across the province were affected by power cuts, according to Hydro BC. At the end of the day, emergency services said they had transported nine patients with minor injuries after a landslide.
To the people of Merritt and to British Columbians affected by the flooding: be careful. As Minister Blair said, we’re going to be there to provide you with the support you need to help you deal with and recover from these floods and extreme conditions. https://t.co/CDzBVdmIXK
– Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 15, 2021
“From 80 to 100 vehicles” were also blocked by landslides on a highway near Agassiz, about 100 kilometers east of Vancouver, authorities said. Rescue teams, firefighters and police are deployed to help them. The Canadian forces sent helicopters to rescue the 275 people stranded in their vehicles, including about 50 children, according to local media.
Images relayed by local authorities showed the rise of the Similkameen River. Others showed the town of Merritt inundated by the Coldwater. The approximately 7,000 residents of this city located 300 km northeast of Vancouver were ordered to evacuate to emergency centers in the morning, then banned from returning to Merritt after the flooding of sewage treatment plant. Two bridges were also flooded.