CANADA & US- British Columbia & Washington State: Catastrophic flooding, NOV 2021

[CocoChanel]

We have a number of WS members - including our senior Administrator @Sillybilly - who are currently experiencing this overwhelming weather event in British Columbia and the US state of Washington. Please keep these members/friends in your prayers and good thoughts.

**TO THOSE MEMBERS/FRIENDS THAT ARE IN THE AREA OF THIS WEATHER DISASTER, WE ARE THINKING OF YOU!! PLEASE CHECK IN HERE TO LET US KNOW ON THIS THREAD HOW YOU ARE FARING!*

Canada hit by heavy rains and floods in British Columbia – in pictures

Helicopters drop food for Canadian flood victims, more rain expected

https://www.accuweather.com/en/wint...ss-pummels-northwest-british-columbia/1047699

 

[Sillybilly]

Thank you so much for starting this thread Coco (after listening to me laugh and cry, oddly, sometimes at the same time). Some of this stuff is so heartbreaking, I can't talk about it without crying, but mostly it is bringing out the goodness of mankind. Last night 300 magnificent volunteers showed up in the middle of the night to sandbag the Barrowtown pumping station between Abbotsford and Chilliwack, where it was anticipated one of the four pumps was going to fail. It has fended off the barage of water for now, but more rain is on the way.

Right now my immediate community is safe from the current lower elevation flood waters but we are "monkey in the middle" here and not out of the woods by any means. We are totally surrounded by the flooded areas and cut off from all incoming routes. As happened with Covid, the store shelves are pretty much wiped out due to the a$$hats that rushed out and stockpiled. Our mayor was just on TV and tells us the military is arriving to help out with the food supply chain (and some other things that I can't remember right now because my head is fried).

To all my BC and Washington state neighbours, please stay safe. My heart is with you all. This can't last forever.

 

[Sillybilly]

British Columbia now under province-wide state of emergency connected to floods

Three quarters of BC's population lives in the Lower Mainland where this is occurring. While the area is used to some flooding situations, this is the worst BC has ever seen, much worse than the 200 year flood of 1948.

Thousands have been evacuated, only 1 fatality confirmed due to the mudslides so far but more are expected once the search teams are able to access the locations. Main thing now is to restore supply lines.

Right now, Premier John Horgan is on TV (he is recovering from surgery / treatment for throat cancer). He says Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario have been quick to offer assistance throughout this historical, catastrophic event.

Sorry if some of this may sound disjointed, but right now that's the state of my mind with so much information coming across.

 

[Tiff23fr]

Thanks for starting this thread Coco.
Thinking of all our WS Members who may be impacted.

Stay safe and stay in touch!

Tiff

 

[otto]

Supply chain problems in Western Canada after railway and highway transport is disrupted by weather.

"Albertans could face significant problems getting goods in and out of the province in the weeks and months ahead after flooding and landslides in southern British Columbia cut off highways and disrupted rail lines.

Every major route between B.C.'s Lower Mainland and the B.C. Interior has been cut by washouts, flooding or landslides following record-breaking rainfall across southern B.C. between Saturday and Monday."​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/b-c-flooding-disaster-supply-chain-alberta-1.6252395

 

[Tiff23fr]

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-flooding-...egin-arriving-to-help-with-recovery-1.5671329

 

[Sillybilly]

BREAKING: Barrowtown Pump Station floodgates have been opened in Abbotsford
Floodgates were opened just before 2 a.m., according to the City of Chilliwack

The Fraser River has dropped enough to allow opening of the floodgates to let water from the Sumas River flow into the Fraser.

Water recedes on Hwy 1 between Abbotsford, Hope; geotechnical assessment underway to reopen

Crews, including the Canadian Armed Forces, have been busy in the Fraser Valley, repairing what they can and preparing for an upcoming second storm on Monday and Tuesday.


Provincial Emergency is in place with gas rationing, restriction on non-essential travel,

This devastation in BC is unprecedented and unbelievable.

 

[Sillybilly]

B.C. floods: Province opens second corridor between Lower Mainland, interior


Four bodies now recovered from site of Highway 99 mudslide, B.C. coroner confirms

There is a fifth missing person whose body has not been found yet. With all the mudslides and road/bridge washouts, it is amazing that there have been no other reports of missing people or loss of human life at this time. As for the livestock, I can't even go there other than to say it's in the thousands.

This is an aerial view of Sumas flats taken from a West Jet flying over this morning (and that is just part of the destruction).

https://twitter.com/i/status/1460656537949462535

 

[Springrain]

Thank you so much for starting this thread Coco (after listening to me laugh and cry, oddly, sometimes at the same time). Some of this stuff is so heartbreaking, I can't talk about it without crying, but mostly it is bringing out the goodness of mankind. Last night 300 magnificent volunteers showed up in the middle of the night to sandbag the Barrowtown pumping station between Abbotsford and Chilliwack, where it was anticipated one of the four pumps was going to fail. It has fended off the barage of water for now, but more rain is on the way.

Right now my immediate community is safe from the current lower elevation flood waters but we are "monkey in the middle" here and not out of the woods by any means. We are totally surrounded by the flooded areas and cut off from all incoming routes. As happened with Covid, the store shelves are pretty much wiped out due to the a$$hats that rushed out and stockpiled. Our mayor was just on TV and tells us the military is arriving to help out with the food supply chain (and some other things that I can't remember right now because my head is fried).

To all my BC and Washington state neighbours, please stay safe. My heart is with you all. This can't last forever.

Sillybilly, I didn't know you were from the area. I am in Bellingham, and have been fortunate to have personally not been in areas with flooding, but many people I know have been badly affected - lots of property ruined. Nobody I know has been injured, thank God. The roads to the Lummi Reseveration have been severely flooded from what I've heard, even though the reservation itself is OK at this point, and Sumas has been just a nightmare.

 

[Sillybilly]

Next 3 storms to hit B.C. expected to be atmospheric rivers

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, particularly near the mountains. It also includes the Sea to Sky corridor and the Sunshine Coast from Gibsons to Earls Cove, where 40 to 80 mm is expected to fall by Friday morning.

 

[Tiff23fr]

I will be thinking of all our posters in the B.C. Region in the coming days.

Stay safe my friends!

 

[Sillybilly]

Sillybilly, I didn't know you were from the area. I am in Bellingham, and have been fortunate to have personally not been in areas with flooding, but many people I know have been badly affected - lots of property ruined. Nobody I know has been injured, thank God. The roads to the Lummi Reseveration have been severely flooded from what I've heard, even though the reservation itself is OK at this point, and Sumas has been just a nightmare.

Hey neighbour Stay safe @Springrain. It seems there is no end in sight for us right now. I was hoping to get to my family in Vancouver as the roads were semi opening up, but once again it's not looking hopeful at this point. Will just stay hunkered down and hope for the best. I am worried what the Fraser River may yet have in store and hope that dike will withstand whatever comes our way. I have some phone numbers of private rescue planes handy and if I have to, will load up the little furbabes and take to higher ground. (The top of Mount Baker is looking pretty darn appealing right now.) Not uber impressed with the idea of hauling this old butt out in the sling of a helicopter

Province warns next 10 days could be 'quite challenging' as more storms set to hit B.C.
Forecasters warn river levels could rise with heavy rainfall, and flooding conditions could worsen

 

[tarabull]

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[Sillybilly]

Watched just one farmer interviewed and he lost 69 cows and broke down when he said he was only able to save 10. It is so heartbreaking to watch, and the mental toll on these people is unfathomable.

There are varied reports of the numbers of livestock lost. Some reports are saying hundreds of thousands, but tonight Global TV has reported that a million animals perished in the flood. Global TV's Richard Zussman interviewed Lana Popham, our BC Minister of Agriculture, and she did not refute that number.

Ms Popham stated that over 95% of laying chickens survived and over 90% of cows survived, but said they have intentionally tried to steer away from talking in terms of actual numbers in an effort to try to protect the mental health of the farmers who are suffering so greatly.