Issued: August 23, 2024
On August 23, Environment Canada issued a “Special Weather Statement” for heavy rain forecasted over regions within the SLRD. Rainfall is expected through today and into Saturday, August 24, resulting in an expected 20 – 30mm with up to 40mm in heaviest rain. From various weather models, the River Forecast Centre is picking up ranges between 25-60mm at Birkenhead Lake, 10-30mm at Meager Creek, 15-40mm for Pemberton, and 10-50mm at Tenquille Lake.
Around Poole Creek / Gates Lake, the anticipated high precipitation rates over a short duration could exacerbate ongoing flooding concerns and challenge the effectiveness of the emergency flood mitigation work that took place at the beginning of August. Emergency response work is organized to prioritize the immediate safety and well-being of the public. The SLRD confirms a team will be onsite on Saturday morning with a geotechnical engineer and an excavator operator to perform active erosion mitigation work and water rechanneling during this weather event.
The River Forecast Centre has issued a High Streamflow Advisory for:
- South Coast, including areas around Whistler
- Lillooet River and Tributaries around Pemberton, D’Arcy and Duffy Lake
- Tributaries along the Fraser River through the Fraser Canyon, including areas around Lillooet, Lytton, Boston Bar and Spuzzum
River Conditions: Smaller river systems are most susceptible to rapid rises due to heavy rainfall during this event. Rapid rises in rivers are expected overnight and through Saturday. Enhanced responses from areas with recent wildfire burns are possible. Hydrologic modelling of larger river systems, including the Lillooet River and tributaries, and larger tributaries along the Fraser Canyon, including the Nahatlatch River, could experience flows up to the 2-year to 5-year range.
Environment Canada’s statement reports that anticipated high precipitation rates over a short duration could lead to water pooling in areas with poor drainage, exacerbating localized flooding concerns. Communities with historically lower drainage capacities should be particularly vigilant.
There is an enhanced risk of landslides in vulnerable areas, particularly those affected by recent wildfires (burn scars). The combination of heavy rainfall and potentially unstable soils could trigger landslides or debris flows in the area, posing potential hazards to public safety, infrastructure and natural landscapes.
The SLRD declared a State of Local Emergency (SOLE) for Electoral Area C at 8 a.m. on August 1, 2024 and it is still in place.
Eight properties in the Gates Lake area remain under an Evacuation Alert. The SLRD has not issued an Evacuation Order and will continue to monitor current conditions and weather forecast for the area. Residents are advised to use caution in the area and avoid streambanks and water channels. There is the potential for increased sediment and stream bank instability in these areas. If you witness signs of slope instability or debris flood, please contact the SLRD at 604-894-6371 (toll-free at 1-800-298-7753), or by email at info@slrd.bc.ca
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to BCstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports using #BCStorm.
Emergency preparedness reminders:
- Know the hazards – knowing what hazards you need to plan for is the first step
to being prepared. - Visit the FireSmartBC to learn how to make your property resilient to wildfire. The SLRD Wildfire Mitigation Team is on standby, ready to help. Book your Free FireSmart Assessment by email at firesmart@slrd.bc.ca or by phone at 604-384-7323.
- Make an emergency plan for yourself, all members of your household and your pets.
- Prepare your emergency supplies and build your kits:
- Ensure you have supplies, including food, water and necessary medicines, for at least 72 hours.
- Research insurance options and ensure your plan is up-to-date.
- Evacuation routes: understand how you will leave the area.
- Evacuation and recovery resources- Learn what happens in evacuations, what financial assistance you might be eligible for and other recovery resources.
Stay Informed: In an emergency, misinformation is dangerous. Get your information from official sources, and make sure you have access:
- Emergency notifications – sign up for your community’s emergency alert notification system and download the free Alertable app to receive emergency alerts from the Province of B.C.
- Provincial emergency information: Follow Emergency Info BC
- Road conditions: Follow DriveBC
- Wildfire updates: Follow BC Wildfire Service and download the BC Wildfire Service app
- Flood-related advisories: Visit the BC River Forecast Centre
Related information about this this event:
Watch the Virtual Town Hall recording from August 8, 2024 on the SLRD’s YouTube channel.