In 2022, a record number of Bigg’s killer whales (orcas) and humpback whales were spotted in the waters surrounding Victoria as well as south along Washington’s border.
It's coming up to peak flood season in BC with extra thick snowpack melting into rivers. On top of that, an atmospheric river is coming.
Conditions at a Canadian pump station improved over night after they officials issued an evacuation order that had Whatcom residents concerned of more flooding.
Since 7 a.m. on Monday, crews in Vancouver responded to reports of flooding in 46 locations. Average annual cost of property damage or losses due to severe weather has increased from about $400 million before 2009 to about $2 billion annually in the last few years.
All 275 people were expected to be rescued by the end of Monday, said B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, adding that there had been no reported fatalities. The Agassiz fire department was credited with saving 12 people Sunday night in “treacherous conditions,” as their vehicles filled with debris and water.
Extreme rain swamped rivers and farmland across southern B.C. and triggered mudslides that blocked every major highway connecting the Lower Mainland to the rest of the country in November 2021. This is a timeline of the first week of the crisis.
A tornado watch was issued around 5:30 p.m. and rescinded less than an hour later, but the storm caused considerable damage on the University of British Columbia campus. The school is located on a peninsula not far from the airport.
Several BC Ferries sailings between the mainland and Vancouver Island were cancelled Friday due to high winds blasting across the Strait of Georgia.
Power has been restored to more than 140,000 homes after a nasty overnight windstorm moved across the South Coast, leaving fallen trees and sagging power lines scattered across the region.
The storm pummeling much of B.C. incapacitated part of the ferry system and coated major highway passes and northern areas of the province in a heap of fresh snow.
Interior communities are shoring up dikes and roadways in preparation for another atmospheric river system expected Tuesday and into Wednesday. Officials say they are making progress helping displaced residents access services and are taking steps to save homes from further flood damage.
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