Following several days of incessant rain, highways across southern BC have been ravaged by flooding, rockslides, and mudslides..More than 80 vehicles on Hwy. 7 near Agassiz have been stranded all night — with multiple vehicles washed off the road in the Ruby Creek area..The Vancouver-based Canada Task Force 1 (CAN-TF1) — a special operations team of up to 120 members with medical, emergency response, and engineering backgrounds — has been deployed to assist the local fire department in rescuing the stranded drivers..Evacuations have been set forth in Merritt, Princeton, and Abbotsford..Merritt announced a city-wide evacuation order just after 10 a.m. Monday, as floodwaters have inundated two bridges across the Coldwater River and rendered the sewage treatment plant inoperable, which may cause “mass sewage back-up and personal health risk.”.Evacuated residents are asked to register at the Merritt Civic Centre on Mamette Avenue..“We currently have 50 beds at the ESS Reception Centre and we are working on obtaining more,” the city’s notice said..“We are strongly encouraging residents to billet with friends and family in the community, as this is currently the safest option for evacuees.”. Screen-Shot-2021-11-15-at-12.44.31-PMA portion of Coquihalla washed away. Courtesy Smith Adelina, Facebook .Thirty-four addresses in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen were placed under an evacuation order late Sunday night due to flooding as well, and residents near the Tulameen River in Electoral Area H were asked to leave the area immediately..The Coquihalla has been closed in both directions between Hope and Merritt due to a mudslide between exit 202 and exit 217. Highway 1 is closed in both directions nine kilometres north of Yale due to a rockslide..Hwy. 11 is currently closed north and southbound between Old Clayburn Road & McCallum Road. Detours are in place.. Screen-Shot-2021-11-15-at-12.47.35-PMJoanne Petrie-Antonia . Hwy.-5Another view of Hwy. 5 near Hope. Courtesy Facebook . As of noon, the following roads were closed:.• Highway 1 between Agassiz and Spences Bridge;.• Highway 1 east of Golden;.• Highway 1 in Goldstream;.• Highway 1 north of Duncan;.• Highway 1A in Cowichan Bay;.• Highway 3 at Sunshine Valley and East of Princeton;.• Highway 3 north of Fernie;.• Highway 5 (Coquihalla Highway) between Hope and Merritt;.• Highway 7 between Maple Ridge and Hope;.• Highway 11 between Mission and Abbotsford;.• Highway 14 at Impala Road, east of Sooke;.• Highway 93 between Radium Hot Springs and Banff;.• Highway 99 in an area 42 kilometres south of Lillooet; and.• Highway 99 at Westminster Highway in Richmond.“Traffic just came to a halt,” Shawn Ramsay, who is currently stuck on Hwy. 7, told the Western Standard..“People started heading up the highway doing and doing u-turns, but eventually had it figured out that the road was blocked in both directions.”.Ramsay said a chopper began picking people up about 10 car lengths in front of him at 12:20 p.m..“Looks like they are taking them to Aggasiz,” said Ramsay’s wife, Melanie.. CreditShawn-RamsayCourtesy Shawn Ramsay .The excessive rain is a result of what Environment Canada refers to as an “atmospheric river event.”.An atmospheric river is a flowing column of condensed water vapour in the atmosphere. When atmospheric rivers move inland and sweep over mountains, the vapour rises and cools — leading to intense precipitation. Larger atmospheric rivers can initiate severe and potentially catastrophic disruptions..As of now, there have been no confirmed fatalities in BC as a result of the storm.. PatriciaJacksonfacebookOthello Tunnels campground in Hope, BC. Courtesy Patricia Jackson/Facebook .This story will be updated throughout the day with new developments..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,rsmall@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/reidsmall
