A number of properties in Pemberton, B.C., have been ordered to evacuate due to the “immediate danger to life safety” posed by flooding in the region. The village upgraded existing evacuation alerts to orders for properties between 1674 and 2000 Airport Rd. on Wednesday afternoon. Officials issued flood warnings in the Pemberton Valley, Howe Sound, Sea to Sky and North Shore areas Wednesday morning after a series of rain and wind storms battered B.C.’s South Coast, with more rain expected to come. A flood warning means river levels have exceeded bankfull or will exceed it imminently, and flooding in areas adjacent to rivers will occur. “Heavy rain and high streamflow bring increased risk for unstable banks, river erosion, submerged roads, swift water hazards, flooding and landslides,” the River Forecast Centre wrote in a bulletin. “Stay clear of the banks of swift running rivers and never drive across flooded roads, bridges or river crossings.” Environment Canda predicts rainfall totals to reach 50 to 100 millimetres in the Whistler and Pemberton areas by the time the precipitation eases Thursday, and higher amounts on the Sea to Sky Highway and Howe Sound.
