The northwestern United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia are facing major flooding following incessant rains in recent days. At least one woman died from the storm in Vancouver, while thousands more have been evacuated from their homes and suffer power outages on both sides of the border.
Days of torrential rain caused severe flooding and landslides in the province of British Columbia in Canada and in the state of Washington in the northwestern United States.
In the small community of Lillooet, which belongs to the affected Canadian region, a woman died after landslides blocked one of the main roads in the province.
The death toll could rise, as at least two other people have been reported missing, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Water levels in the Sumas River in Washington, United States, rose rapidly and overwhelmed rescuers in Abbotsford, Canada, where authorities issued an immediate evacuation order for all residents.
It is an area with a significant dairy industry, so workers desperately tried to save their animals from the rising waters, in some cases tying ropes around their necks and pulling them with jet skis to higher ground.
“I know it is difficult for farmers to give up their livestock, but people’s lives are more important to me right now than cattle and chickens,” said City Mayor Henry Braun.
Those residents joined thousands of people across the province who since last Sunday, November 14, have been forced from their homes by floods or landslides.
Several other towns have been completely cut off, and at least one reported that food was starting to run low.
Jeff Kuhn, pastor of a church in Hope, a city of 6,000 people about 100 miles east of Vancouver, said another 1,500 people were seeking refuge.
“There isn’t much left in grocery stores. They just can’t be restocked, there’s no way,” he told local radio Canadian Broadcasting Corp. He added that although some foods had been flown in, the supply would only last one day.
British Columbia declared a state of emergency
The severe storm also forced the closure of the busiest port in Vancouver, a major coastal city in the same region, which is home to around 2.5 million people.
As if that were not enough, residents in different areas of the province face power outages and rail transportation.
Canadian Pacific Rail and Canadian National Railway, the nation’s two largest train companies, reported that flooding forced them to suspend routes to and from Vancouver.
“All rail service to and from the Port of Vancouver is stopped due to flooding in the interior of British Columbia,” Port spokesman Matti Polychronis said Tuesday.
Against this background, the British Colombian authorities declared a state of emergency.
These floods come after some areas of British Columbia received 20 cm of rain on Sunday, the amount that usually falls in a month.
Devastating floods in the northwestern United States
Across the border, in Washington state, USA, a 59-year-old man, identified by police as José García, was still missing after his truck was dragged into a flooded field and he clung to a tree .
Officials in the small town of Sumas, in the same state, called the floods devastating, noting that an estimated 75% of homes there suffered water damage. Hundreds of people were isolated.
“These families and businesses need our prayers and support as we begin the cleaning and rebuilding process in the coming days,” local authorities said through their social media.
Photos: Record Rainfall Floods British Columbia and Washington State (The Atlantic)
Historic levels of rainfall across southern British Columbia and western Washington State ca …
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In the northern Washington city of Ferndale, officials also urged homes and businesses to evacuate in an area near the rising Nooksack River.
Meanwhile, the main north-south west coast highway, Interstate 5, near Bellingham, Washington, was partially reopened after its complete closure due to debris from the landslides.
In addition, trains in Sumas and others in western Washington will not run again until the water truce and tracks are inspected and repaired if necessary, said Lena Kent, chief public affairs officer for the railroad company BNSF.
At the height of the storm, more than 158,000 users of electric power service in western Washington were without power on Monday, November 15, when wind speeds reached 60 miles per hour. As of Tuesday, more than 31,000 clients were still without the service.
According to meteorological authorities, the rains were caused by an atmospheric river, a huge column of humidity that extends over the Pacific and towards Washington and Oregon.
It is the second largest widespread flooding in Northwest Washington in less than two years. Whatcom County officials attributed climate change to the record of more severe and constant natural events than usual.
With Reuters and AP
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