British Columbia: Provincial state of emergency extended

Crews are still working feverishly to fix highways and to get traffic and commerce back on the move in British Columbia. The weather has still has been unusual for our area. We the amount of snow we received the Mike Farnsworth ask us to prepare for extreme winter conditions. An Arctic wind blow at us dumbing almost 20 centimetres of snow that then turned to ice. We then ask to batten down for extreme wind and an Atmospheric River that has brought more rain and caused the snow to melt faster which could overwhelm storm drains and cause more flooding. Thus the state of emergency has been extended.

From the Ministry of Public Safety

With some highways still damaged by flooding and mudslides, and the potential for further flooding this week, 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 day, Jan. 18, 2022.

“My continued thanks go out to road crews who are working so hard to get our highways back and fully open,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “This work is essential in getting vital resources to the people of British Columbia, and once completed will allow for easier access to communities around the province. Thank you to all British Columbians for your ongoing patience and compliance during these challenging times.”

The orders 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); and
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).

“Work has progressed well while the affected areas have experienced adverse winter conditions,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “While this work continues, the restriction on these highways will have to remain in place for a short while longer to ensure road conditions are safe for those driving and working on them.”

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 Disaster Financial Assistance application online:
http://www.gov.bc.ca/disasterfinancialassistance

For a French translation: https://news.gov.bc.ca/26069 #translations