Flood-ravaged British Columbia declares a state of emergency

November 19, 2021: -On Wednesday, the Canadian province of British Columbia on the Pacific coast declared a state of emergency following massive floods and landslides caused by record-breaking rainfall in the previous several days.

On Monday, Authorities have confirmed one death from a mudslide and anticipate the death toll to increase. Officials also said it could take weeks for the province to recover from the storm’s torrential rain, hitting southern B.C. amid Saturday and Monday. Thousands of people are stranded and seeking shelter.

The Canadian government is deploying its air force to cure evacuations and support disrupted supply chains. The flood conditions have cut off transportation routes amid the lower mainland of B.C. and the province interior and cut all rail access to Canada’s biggest port in Vancouver.

“We’re sending help your way,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. “We’ve approved the province’s request for assistance, and we’ll have @CanadianForces members on the ground sooner as possible to keep you safe, support supply chain routes, and provide other necessary assistance.”

The flooding calamity comes less than six months after an extreme heat event scorched Canada’s westernmost province of B.C. in the summer, breaking temperature records and causing hundreds of heat-related deaths. Climate change is contributing to more frequent and intense weather events like wildfires, drought, and floods.

On Wednesday, British Columbia Premier John Horgan described the disaster as a once-in-500-year event during a news conference.

“We will bring in travel restrictions and ensure that transportation of essential goods and medical and emergency services can reach the communities that need them,” Horgan said.

“These are very challenging times,” Horgan added. “I’ve been at this dais over the last two years talking about challenging times we have faced, unprecedented challenges with public health, wildfires, heat domes, and now debilitating floods that we have never come across before,” he further said.

“For those who understand and recognize that the events are developing in regularity due to the effects of human-caused climate change, there is hope,” he added, pointing to the province’s plans to reduce carbon emissions sharply by 2030.

During the briefing, Agriculture Minister Lana Popham said that thousands of animals have died, and hundreds of farms are still impacted by flooding. Popham vowed financial and veterinarian aid for farmers whose livestock had been harmed.