British Columbia’s South Coast is now under a flood watch, as parts of the region report severe flooding that has led to road closures, power outages, and even state of emergency declarations.
Heavy rain fell over the area over the weekend, causing some rivers to overflow and forcing residents in places such as Cowichan Valley to evacuate. Flooding was also intense in Port Coquitlam, where the rainstorm left thousands of BC Hydro customers without power as the utility company struggled to discharge water from the reservoir.
Vancouver Sun reported that the Alouette Reservoir in Maple Ridge reached maximum capacity on Saturday – a first since 1995.
The flooding in Coquitlam was so severe, that CTV News reported that about 20 homes in the Coast Meridian neighbourhood and the Bedford-Kingsway area had too much water seeping inside of them that their power had to be shut off as a precaution.
The rainfall caused more than just flooding. Vancouver Sun said that skiers and snowboarders at Sasquatch Mountain Resort were trapped as a rain-induced landslide locked out a kilometre-long section of the Hemlock Valley Road.
The floods could be a sign of worse things to come, as experts and officials had previously warned that deforestation in BC’s southern interior could lead to aggravated spring river overflows.
