State of emergency in British Columbia | “The roads are going to be closed for a long time”

British Columbia Premier John Horgan declared a state of emergency on Wednesday following flooding and mudslides that wreaked havoc in the southern part of the province. Stranded about 100 kilometers from Vancouver, a resident finally managed to return home.

Florence Morin-Martel
Press

On his return from a hockey tournament in Kelowna last Sunday, Pascal Bouchard managed to reach the town of Hope, about 150 km from his home in Vancouver. Given the state of the roads – submerged or blocked by landslides – it was impossible for him to continue his journey by car. His only option was to take a boat. “ We have just arrived, says Mr. Bouchard, reached by phone on Wednesday. We did an hour and a half in a small fishing boat on the Fraser River. When he arrived at Harrison Mills, he and his team were driven home by relatives.

Premier Horgan has declared a state of emergency to ensure the rapid transportation of essential goods and medical equipment to communities across the province, as well as to allow emergency vehicles to move. The disaster has left one victim for the moment, confirmed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Due to the limited means of evacuation, Mr. Bouchard estimates that nearly 1,000 people are still stuck in Hope, a town at the intersection of several roads.

Some residents have sheltered some families with small children, but most travelers have had to sleep in their cars due to lack of space.

“The people were amazing,” says Bouchard. On Monday morning, a school in Hope decided to open its doors to welcome visitors unable to return home. “A local pizzeria made as many pizzas as it could with a generator,” he says.

With the state of the roads, Pascal Bouchard underlines the difficulty of supplying cities. “When we left [de Hope], he was already running out of products at the grocery store, ”he emphasizes. “Fortunately we did that, I think the roads will be closed for a long time,” he says.

According to Pascal Bouchard, it is the British Columbia communities who “have filled the void” so far. “There, the government will have to do things,” he breathes.

The army as reinforcements

The Canadian Armed Forces have been called in to help, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Defense Minister Anita Anand have confirmed. Soldiers had to get there quickly to speed up the evacuation.

For his part, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured that he was communicating with the authorities of the province to provide assistance, in particular to maintain the supply chain, while the highway system was seriously damaged.

Mr. Trudeau provided an update on the situation during a brief press briefing Wednesday in Washington, where he is in the framework of the meeting of North American leaders.

“There are currently hundreds of members of the Canadian Armed Forces en route to British Columbia to help with whatever is needed. We will continue to be there to help people, ”he said. What is happening in the province “worries us all terribly”, he added.

Evacuations in Abbotsford

Late Tuesday, residents of a low-lying area of ​​Abbotsford town, Sumas Prairie, were told they had to evacuate the area immediately due to a significant risk to their lives.

On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the pumping station – which keeps Fraser River waters from engulfing most homes in the area – threatened to shut down. Sandbags were piled up around the station overnight.

Since the storm ended, the river level has dropped 2 meters, but still needs to drop another 1 meter so that the dams can be opened and allow water to come out more quickly.

Between Tuesday evening and Wednesday, nearly 180 rescues of trapped residents were successful, the fire department said. On Wednesday morning, however, 80 people were still waiting for help. No one has been reported missing, the Abbotsford police chief said.

With The Canadian Press and Mélanie Marquis, Press