Power outages, flooding across B.C. as atmospheric river hits

Search and rescue crews in B.C.'s Lower Mainland say they are on standby to help with possible evacuations as an atmospheric river makes its way through southwestern B.C. on Saturday.

The heavy rainfall, which began Friday and struck the South Coast and parts of the Interior, has caused widespread power outages and flooding, as well as a mudslide in Coquitlam that has left one person missing.  

People in the most heavily impacted areas posted videos to social media showing vehicles partially submerged on flooded roads, and muddy water and debris flowing down streets. 

Environment Canada says 90-150 millimetres of rain will fall in Metro Vancouver, parts of the Fraser Valley and the Sea-to-Sky corridor by Sunday, while rain on the North Shore could potentially exceed 180 millimetres.

Coquitlam Fire and Rescue say a mudslide around noon washed away a home on Quarry Road, between Calgary Drive and MacIntyre Road.

Fire Chief Scott Young told CBC News the house was knocked off its foundation and turned into debris. He said they don't know if the homeowner was around at the time, but that RCMP are considering them a missing person. 

Crews had to suspend their search for the homeowner when it got dark, but plan to resume efforts Sunday morning. 

Meanwhile, Coquitlam search and rescue crews say they were called in to rescue three hikers midway through the day. The hikers were rescued successfully, according to a post from Coquitlam SAR on X. 

Ryan Smith with Ridge Meadows SAR told CBC News his team has been put on standby to help with any evacuations that may occur throughout the region. He said crew members have been deployed to their base and are making sure rafts, kayaks and other rescue equipment are ready to go at a moments notice. 

Smith cautioned people to be careful around any waterways.

"It doesn't take a lot of swift water to wash somebody off their feet."

WATCH | Rain floods roadways, submerging vehicles in Surrey and Burnaby:

B.C. sees power outages, flooded roads as atmospheric river hits

1 month ago

Duration 2:16

Some streets were turned into rivers Saturday, and 10,000 B.C. Hydro customers were left without power

The storm came on B.C.'s election day and downed power for thousands of people, including several polling stations, which were forced to temporarily close. 

A map and list of current power outages is available on the B.C. Hydro website.

As of 8:20 p.m. PT, more than 2,700 B.C. Hydro customers were without power, a significant improvement from earlier in the day. The company said it ramped up its availability of crews ahead of the storm. 

"Crews will continue to work throughout the day and into the evening and potentially overnight if there if there are outages," spokesperson Mora Scott said.

Three years of consecutive drought have led to significantly weakened trees across the province, Scott said, and British Columbians are likely to see a lot of trees and branches fall on and disrupt power lines. 

Buses and highways affected

Drivers across the province were affected by road flooding in various locations, with DriveBC reporting several crashes and closures throughout the province.

As of Saturday evening, highway alerts are in effect for the Coquihalla Highway between Merritt and Hope, as well as the Trans Canada Highway between Eagle Pass and Rogers Pass, according to Environment Canada. 

Coquitlam RCMP say that as of 5:15 p.m. PT on Saturday, Quarry Road is closed between Calgary Drive and MacIntyre Road due to a mudslide. 

Vancouver's Stanley Park Ghost Train cancelled rides on Saturday due to the rain, and there were numerous bus detours in Metro Vancouver due to pooling water on roads. TransLink announced detours on at least 12 routes across the region starting early Saturday morning.

Those heading out in their vehicles can check DriveBC for the most up-to-date list of highway closures and conditions.