Massive snowfall forces B.C. evacuation

KITIMAT, B.C.— A British Columbia First Nation ordered the evacuation of its roughly 700 residents on Sunday, after a very heavy snowfall in Kitimat knocked out power for days and at least one person had to be airlifted to hospital.

Haisla First Nation Chief Councillor Ellis Ross called for the evacuation of Kitamaat Village, one of the only areas near the northern B.C. town that remained without power.

Council clerk Teena Grant said about 20 people were staying in the Kitimat Riverlodge Recreation Centre about 15 kilometres north of the village, while the majority were with family and friends in town. “If you’ve been without power for a couple days, you’ve got issues with water freezing,” she said. “It was a precaution for the safety of the nation.”

The winding road between Kitimat and the village had been closed for days because of snow, downed power lines and fallen trees. A path was cleared between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Sunday to allow a convoy of vehicles to leave.

The massive blizzard dumped 168 centimetres of snow on Kitimat between 4 p.m. Thursday and 4 a.m. Saturday, knocking out power to more than 5,000 residents — although most had their power restored within a few days. The closure of the road that connects the village to Kitimat meant that a B.C. Ambulance Service helicopter had to be flown in to respond to an emergency call from the village on Saturday.

Grant said some Haisla members had generators and wood stoves to keep them warm, but after three days without power, the village had to be evacuated. She said those in the recreation centre were enjoying warm meals on Sunday afternoon.

“Everybody’s good; we’re in good spirits,” she said.