British Columbia’s minister of public safety says more than 6,500 people have registered as evacuees and those whose homes were flooded last week are eligible for a $ 2,000 grant through the Canadian Red Cross and the province.
Mike Farnworth is asking residents to pay close attention to the weather forecast, as more storms are expected after a so-called atmospheric river dumped an unprecedented amount of rain in the southwestern part of the province.
The storms forced evacuations and triggered landslides that cut off crucial roads and rail supply routes.
Environment Canada has issued special weather statements for much of the southern interior coast of British Columbia.
It warns that a new storm is expected to hit the region Wednesday night, dropping 40 to 80 millimeters of rain, before subsiding on Friday.
The meteorological office says a second atmospheric river is also forecast to drench the south coast on Saturday, with total accumulations from both storms likely to exceed 100 millimeters.
When some evacuees from the devastating floods were allowed to return home Tuesday, the mayor of Abbotsford said preparations for the storms were underway.
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Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun says the city finished inspecting its levee system and found that less than one percent needed repairs after last week’s heavy rains, and about 80 percent of the repairs were completed. on Tuesday.
“We expect another five feet (1.5 meters) of height to be added to the levee before the weather event scheduled for Thursday,” Braun told a news conference.
“I am hopeful this will put us in the best position to handle the rain to come.”
BC announces financial aid for evacuees as #storm approaches the south coast. #BCPoli #Floods
A week after Merritt was forced to evacuate when a river flooded the city of about 7,000 people, Mayor Linda Brown announced the first phase of a three-step plan that allowed people to return to their homes.
About 1,500 residents were able to return Tuesday, and certain properties remained on evacuation alert and under a boil water advisory.
But Brown warned residents in a post on the city’s website that they would return to “a city that has changed.”
Returning residents were asked to help limit pressure on key pieces of municipal infrastructure, including the sewer system.
“You will be required to use as little water as possible to preserve supplies for the fire department and you will not have an operating hospital,” Brown said.
Evacuation was ordered on November 15 when the Coldwater River overflowed and overflowed the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
This Canadian Press report was first published on November 24, 2021.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com