BC State of Emergency (Flooding) continued until Jan 11th, 2022

Courtesy of the Government of BC:

With multiple highways still damaged by flooding and mudslides, the Province is extending the provincial state of emergency.

Given the continued need for public safety measures under the Emergency Program Act and ongoing work to repair damaged highways, the provincial state of emergency is being extended until the end of the day on Jan. 11, 2022.

“While significant progress has been made in recovery and repair efforts, there is still more to do to reopen our highways and get people back into their homes,” said the Hon. Mike Farnworth, BC's Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “My thanks go out to all British Columbians for their patience and compliance during these challenging times, and to the crews who have worked tirelessly to get these highways back open.”

The order restricting travel on highways 5 and 99 will remain in place. This includes:

• Highway 5 (Coquihalla) between Hope and Merritt (only commercial vehicles with a minimum licensed gross vehicle weight of 11,794 kilograms, and inter-city buses are permitted);
• from the junction of Highway 99 and Lillooet River Road to the BC Hydro Seton Lake campsite access in Lillooet (open to all traffic, but vehicles weighing more than 14,500 kilograms are not permitted).

“Reopening the Coquihalla to commercial trucks and intercity buses was an important step in our recovery from November’s storm damage,” said the Hon. Rob Fleming, BC's Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. "Repairs to our highway infrastructure are progressing well. However, with winter conditions here and more work to do, some restrictions must remain in place.”

The state of emergency gives the Province the ability to use extraordinary powers to protect people and communities.

Learn More:

For information on evacuation orders and alerts, visit Emergency Info BC, visit: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/

For updated road conditions, visit: www.drivebc.ca

For up-to-date public weather alerts, visit Environment and Climate Change Canada's website, visit: https://weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html?prov=bc

To register with Canadian Red Cross, visit: https://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/current-emergency-responses/2021-british-columbia-floods-and-extreme-weather

British Columbians can access the DFA application online:  http://www.gov.bc.ca/disasterfinancialassistance

BC State of Emergency (BC Atmospheric River Nov 2021 event) continues

Courtesy of the Government of BC:

With recovery efforts still underway in communities affected by severe flooding and highways damaged by flooding and mudslides, the Province is extending the provincial state of emergency.

Given the continued need for public safety measures under the Emergency Program Act and ongoing work to repair damaged highways, the provincial state of emergency is being extended until the end of the day on Dec. 28, 2021.

“While we’re making significant progress in our recovery, there is still a lot of work to do to reopen our highways and get people back into their homes,” said the Hon. Mike Farnworth, BC's Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “My continued thanks go out to all British Columbians for their patience and compliance during these challenging times.”

The order restricting non-essential travel on highways 3 and 99 will remain in place. This includes:

• Highway 3: from the junction of Highway 5 and Highway 3 in Hope to the west entrance to Princeton from Highway 3; and
• from the junction of Highway 99 and Lillooet River Road to the BC Hydro Seton Lake Campsite access in Lillooet (vehicle weight must be no more than 14,500 kilograms).

“Until we can get these highways open, this order will have to stay in place," said the Hon. Rob Fleming, BC's Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “I am grateful to the people putting in tireless, around-the-clock work to fix our roadways so that people can safely get the goods and services they need."

The Province is allowing the order limiting non-essential fuel use to expire. This temporary measure limited non-essential vehicles to 30 litres of fuel (gas and diesel) per trip to the gas station and has been in place since Nov. 19, 2021. With the gradual re-opening of the Trans Mountain Pipeline coupled with shipments of fuel by truck and barge arriving in British Columbia, this order can expire at the end of the day on Dec. 14, 2021.

The state of emergency gives the Province the ability to use extraordinary powers to protect people and communities.

Learn More:

For information on evacuation orders and alerts, visit Emergency Info BC: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/

For updated road conditions: www.drivebc.ca

For up-to-date public weather alerts, visit Environment and Climate Change Canada's website: https://weather.gc.ca/warnings/index_e.html?prov=bc

To register with Canadian Red Cross, visit: https://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/current-emergency-responses/2021-british-columbia-floods-and-extreme-weather

British Columbians can access the DFA application online: http://www.gov.bc.ca/disasterfinancialassistance

BC State of Emergency (Flooding) declared!

Courtesy of the Government of BC:

The B.C. Government is declaring a provincial state of emergency to mitigate impacts on transportation networks and movement of essential goods and supplies, and to support the provincewide response and recovery from the widespread damage caused by severe flooding and landslides in British Columbia.

“Provincial, federal and local governments are working with emergency personnel to make sure people and communities get the help they need as they work through yet another natural disaster. This provincial declaration of emergency will ensure the transport of goods, and essential and emergency services,” said BC Premier John Horgan. “Thank you to everyone for doing what you can to stay safe and to help one another as we work through this catastrophic time.”

Mike Farnworth, BC's Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, made the declaration on Nov. 17, 2021, based on the recommendation from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and Emergency Management BC. The declaration will take effect immediately.

“This provincewide declaration will help us with the challenges ahead as we recover from the utter devastation that’s been caused by this natural disaster,” said Farnworth. “Getting our rail and roadways back up and in operation is a top priority, and the declaration will enable us to put the resources in place to make that happen.”

The state of emergency is initially in effect for 14 days and may be extended or rescinded as necessary. The state of emergency applies to the whole province and ensures federal, provincial and local resources can be delivered in a co-ordinated response to protect the public, which remains the provincial government's top priority.

“Our focus is on clearing, repairing and reopening roads to connect the Interior and the North to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, to get our supply chains moving,” said the Hon. Rob Fleming, BC's Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “We are working closely with multiple partners to make this happen. It is a big job, but collectively we are up to the challenge and will get things opened up again just as soon as we possibly can.”

There are approximately 17,775 people evacuated due to impacts from the flooding, with 5,918 properties on Evacuation Order, and 3,632 properties on Evacuation Alert.

The federal government has responded to and accepted British Columbia’s requests for assistance. In the coming days, additional federal personnel and resources will be arriving in B.C. to assist.

The state of emergency gives agencies, such as the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Emergency Management BC, the RCMP and others the ability to use extraordinary measures to protect people and communities.

Quick Facts:

• Declarations of provincial states of emergency may be issued by the minister responsible under the Emergency Program Act.
• The provincial government can extend the period of a declaration made by the minister responsible.

Learn More:

For information on evacuation orders and alerts, visit Emergency Info BC: https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/

For the latest information on roads and travel, visit: www.drivebc.ca