Canada death toll rises to four as record flooding ravages Pacific coast; power snapped

Swept away by a mudslide, a body of woman on Saturday came down floating near a motor highway that links Vancouver to remote northern parts as torrential rains, storms and massive flooding ravaged several states of coastal Canada as of Saturday. Canadian authorities on Nov. 20 declared that the death toll from the flooding and landslides which shot up to four as of late Saturday evening is expected to rise. British Columbia and Pacific north-west storms continue to wreak havoc in the region, plunging tens of thousands in Canada and parts of the US into darkness as storms snapped the power lines.

Canada's Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s request, convened the Incident Response Group (IRG) to discuss the flooding situation, landslides, and extreme weather conditions, which he described, was caused by climate change that are affecting thousands of people in British Columbia. Blair notified the IRG Ministers of the situation in the province, noting that the floods are affecting numerous communities across British Columbia and that the emergency response is complex and requires cooperation across all levels of government.

The "catastrophic" flooding forced scores of Canadians to flee their homes, and the Canadian government scrambled to trigger the state of emergency on Wednesday this week. It is now planning to send in the military troops to rescue the motorists stranded in the flooding on highways and find the four missing persons. British Columbia Premier John Horgan imposed a ban on travellers as he told reporters for Canadian public broadcasters that the catastrophic" rains, winds and flooding "have devastated entire communities of our province” and has cut off Vancouver and its port.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters ahead of the US Mexico meet that the heavy rains caused "historical and terrible flooding that has disrupted the lives and taken lives of people across British Columbia.”

"I can confirm there are hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces members currently headed to British Columbia to help with everything from supplies to evacuation to whatever is needed," he said.

Volunteer uses a boat to rescue people, including a toddler, who were stranded in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Credit: AP

18,000 still stranded in Canada’s westernmost province, Army supplies feed 

In another tragic development, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed on Saturday, Nov. 20 with Canadian broadcasters that the three missing persons’ bodies were recovered by the law enforcement authorities floating near Duffey Lake, northeast of Vancouver. “We have been continuing the search for one more man, however search efforts have been hampered by weather and site conditions,” Sergeant Janelle Shoihet of the RCMP said in a statement released by his department later. 

British Columbia flooding and mudslides. Credit: Twitter/@MsPraxis

Transcanada Highway 1 in British Columbia now completely underwater. Credit: Twitter/@willisturner

Rail access to Canada's largest port in the city of Vancouver cut off due to flooding. Credit: Twitter/@ArthurBenta

The flooding has ensued many challenges with supply cut as one of the main, after flooding hampered the supply via Trans Mountain pipeline that ran through the province of Alberta to the west coast. Residents had to ration fuel as a ban was imposed on purchases limiting it to just 30 litres at the pumps for at least 10 days, Mike Farnworth, the province’s minister of public security stated in a release.

In Abbotsford where Army was deployed, tons of feeds at the devastating animal farms were supplied via military helicopters and cows and other animals were rescued from the floodwater on jet skies. Some 18,000 still remain stranded in Canada’s westernmost province due to flooding as critical infrastructure was damaged in of Canada’s costliest disasters yet. 

Thousands of 'farmed' animals have perished in the last few days as a result of floods, Credit: Twitter/@Plant_Treaty

Credit: Twitter/@Gasp4Change