Posted Nov 19, 2021, 7:20 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 24,177
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Vancouver storm: A state of emergency has been declared in British Columbia
Quote:
A state of emergency has been declared in the Canadian western province of British Columbia after a major storm cut road and rail links in the region.
The Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed to help thousands of stranded residents who have been trapped since the storm hit overnight on Sunday.
Local officials warned on Thursday that the price tag to rebuild could exceed C$1bn ($790m, £590m).
One woman was killed in a landslide, and two people are missing. Officials expect more fatalities to be confirmed in the coming days.
One man caught up in the storm told the BBC the scenes afterwards were like "Armageddon".
Thousands of farm animals have died and many more remain trapped by the flood waters after the storm passed through one of Canada's most agriculturally intensive areas.
Some 18,000 people are yet to return to their homes after an "atmospheric river" - a long strip of moisture in the air that transports water from tropical areas towards the poles - dumped the region's monthly rainfall average in 24 hours.
As of Thursday, nearly 7,000 properties remained under mandatory evacuation orders, with more than 2,500 others under evacuation advisory.
British Columbia Premier John Horgan announced the two-week emergency order on Wednesday, in order to keep people off flooded roads and expedite rescues.
Helicopters on Wednesday dropped food supplies to stranded mountain communities after slides destroyed roads and floods submerged major highways.
Approximately 1,500 travellers became stranded in the town of Hope after roads closed, Grace Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Kuhn told BBC News in an email on Wednesday. Officials said about 1,000 people were able to leave the town on Thursday.
Some highways have reopened, including Highway 7, connecting Hope to Vancouver.
Store shelves have also seen their inventories running low, and officials have advised residents to conserve fuel . . . .
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59324764
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