Sea-to-Sky corridor under various flood warnings and evacuation alerts
Justin McElroy | CBC News | Posted: November 10, 2016 12:37 AM | Last Updated: November 10, 2016
Village of Pemberton issues evacuation alert, properties affected include MLA Jordan Sturdy's farm
Heavy rainfall has caused flood warnings and evacuation alerts in a number of places throughout the Sea-to-Sky corridor.
The Village of Pemberton has issued an evacuation alert for people around Airport Road, and the Lil'Wat First Nation issued an alert for First Nation reserves 1, 2, 3, 6, 8 and 10, later upgrading it to an order for reserves 1 and 2.
A sandbag station has been set up at Pemberton municipal hall. Pemberton Meadows Road and Airport Road have been closed.
The village will update residents on its Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the B.C. River Forecast Centre has issued a flood warning for the Lillooet River, along with a high streamflow advisory for the Squamish River.
'1-in-100 year event'
Rapidly rising waters has caused flooding at several properties, including a farm operated by the MLA for the region.
"It's still coming up slightly," said West Vancouver-Sea-to-Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy, whose family-owned North Arm Farm near Pemberton has been affected by flooding.
He says it's the worst flood his farm has seen since at least 2003, and it could get worse.
"I think we'll likely see this is a 1-in-100 year event, ultimately, when they start looking at peak flows," he said.
There have also been flood warnings this month in a number of places on Vancouver Island, as the entire South Coast deals with the fallout from a near-record amount of rain in October.
- Rising river waters threaten Tseshaht First Nation
- Campbell River waterfalls surge with record rains
Sturdy is asking residents in his riding to be aware of flooding risks by planning ahead.
"Anytime there's high streamflow events, riverbanks and roads can undercut and wash over. You really just want to stay away or reduce your risk and exposure as best you can."