Barnston Island under evacuation alert due to possible flooding

Metro Vancouver is urging residents of Barnston Island, near Surrey, B.C., to brace for a potential evacuation order over the long weekend due to possible flooding. 

About 150 people live on the island, which situated on the Fraser River between Surrey and Pitt Meadows. 

Metro Vancouver, which issued an evacuation alert Thursday, said residents should be prepared to leave on short notice. 

A local state of emergency has been declared, restricting access to the island, while Barnston Island Regional Park is also closed.

Metro Vancouver, which is responsible for emergency management for the area, said it has established a command post on site to coordinate any potential evacuation. Officials are also monitoring river levels, patrolling dikes and deploying sandbags.

Flood response information has been shared with the Katzie First Nation, which has a reserve on the small island.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre, Environment Canada and Emergency Management B.C. have warned that snowmelt and precipitation could lead to increasing river flows over the next several days.

Metro Vancouver issued the following recommendations for residents of the island:

• Gather essential items, medications, eyeglasses, valuable documents, immediate care needs, and pets, and prepare to leave quickly.
• Know the location of all members of the household and determine a place to meet if separated during a potential evacuation.
• Be prepared to evacuate children, the elderly and disabled persons.
• Begin relocating pets and livestock to a safe area immediately.
• Arrange accommodation. 
• If time permits, take steps to prepare for property damage.

Ferry used for potential evacuation

Accessing the island would require taking the Barnston Island Ferry from Port Kells on the south side of Surrey, which has a maximum capacity for five vehicles and 52 passengers. Non-residents who do not have business on the island are restricted from boarding the vessel. 

Brant Arnold-Smith, incident commander for Metro Vancouver, said they are limiting non-residents from boarding the ferry in order to ensure capacity for evacuating residents and livestock.

"If an evacuation order does go into place, we have a transportation and evacuation plan that will see the ferry used to evacuate people and livestock, and getting first responders on the island," said Arnold-Smith.

He said the flood risk on Barnston Island is an annual concern and Metro Vancouver is well prepared to deal with it. 

"This is a yearly event that takes place after the snow melt and we have emergency response plans in place and work with our partner agencies in preparation for this," he said.

There is also a helicopter hovering over the island. 

Arnold-Smith said people can check Metro Vancouver's website and social media channels for updates.