THREAT DEEPENS
Rising river raises concerns in Fraser Valley
A sign at Marina Park in Fort Langley warns visitors of high water. Evacuation alerts have been posted for Barnston Island and unprotected areas of Langley.
With rising water levels predicted for this weekend, residents of an island caught in between two branches of the Fraser River are bracing for impact.
Barnston Island is home to about 150 people, and consists of large farm properties and the Katzie First Nation. After an evacuation alert was issued on Wednesday, residents — who are not strangers to rising water levels — began to prepare for the worst.
“This year, the conditions are somewhat different and everyone should be on high alert,” said Ron Tulett, Barnston Island Incident Commander for the Metro Vancouver Regional District.
“In 2012, the water was coming up a month later in the year. This year it’s happening much faster.”
RCMP officers went door-to-door on Wednesday, handing evacuation alerts and self-help advice pamphlets to community members. In what is largely an agricultural island,
residents began loading livestock onto cattle cars and transporting them by ferry — the only means of connection to the mainland. Officials warned that no large animals would be allowed onto the ferry once an evacuation order is in place.
Yuana Hexamer, director of the Lower Mainland Humane Society, waited in a car lineup to relocate a pickup truck filled with sanctuary dogs off the island.
“What a nightmare. I was hoping this wouldn’t happen,” Hexamer said.
On Wednesday, Katzie First Nation community members began creating sandbag walls around properties facing the water, as band council member Peter James met with Emergency Management B.C. to discuss contingency plans.
“We’re concerned about the water levels here. They’re approaching the edge of our river bank and about to encroach on our backyards and
houses here,” James said.
In the event of an evacuation, according to the Ministry of Transportation, the ferry service will continue as long as practical, but will suspend should the dock facilities become submerged.
Residents are expected to arrange further accommodation, although emergency lodging will be provided if necessary.
James, who has lived on Barnston Island for 53 years, recalls the 1972 Fraser River flood as the worst in his memory — when waters rose to 6.5 metres on the Mission gauge. The B.C. River Forecast Centre predicted levels could match those numbers this year.
“It’s all just a matter of waiting. I’ve been watching everyday and it’s gone up almost a metre every couple of days,” said Mike Leon, as he helped with sandbagging.
“We’ve got a lot of family out here. Nephews, neighbours, cousins. This kind of help is huge, it puts me at ease a little.”
As more evacuation alerts are
issued across B.C., Premier John Horgan said the province will match Canadian Red Cross donations up to $20 million, for those most harmed.
In Chilliwack, Horgan said the provincial government would do whatever it could to help.
“We stand together united to make sure that there be no stone unturned, no sandbag unfilled. And whatever resources are needed we all commit to make sure they are there for the people of the region, up and down the Fraser and all of the rivers, creeks that could potentially be affected in the days ahead.”
Meantime, Barnston Island residents wait to see what weather will take them into the weekend, in an effort to measure how serious the situation could get.
“The island was created by the river, and it will be taken by the river one day despite the best efforts of man,” said Tulett. “It may be this year, it may be 100 years from now, but rivers move quick.”
The Township of Langley issued an evacuation alert on Tuesday for
unprotected flood plains. Residents of more than 200 properties are affected, and will be asked to leave if levels on the Fraser River reach the projected 6.5 metres.
A high streamflow advisory is still in place for the Fraser River, which was measured at 5.7 metres in Mission on Wednesday.
In Grand Forks, where 1,500 properties are under an evacuation order, officials expect another flood event similar to last week.
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary says water levels are rising in the Granby River, which remains under a flood warning by the B.C. River Forecast Centre.
More than 2,000 properties in B.C. are under an evacuation order, while 2,600 homes are on evacuation alert, according to Emergency Management B. C. The Town of Princeton has issued an evacuation alert for some properties along the Similkameen and Tulameen rivers.
— With files from Patrick Johnston, Tiffany Crawford and CP