The floodwaters are finally receding in the Lower Mainland, but farmers across southwestern BC now face the monumental challenge of cleaning up their properties. Just 500 properties in the Fraser Valley remained under evacuation orders on December 7, according to the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Those farmers who have returned have been …
flood
Fraser Valley flooding continues
A thousand acres of blueberries remain underwater in the Fraser Valley, while more than 200 farms in the province continue to operate under evacuation orders or alerts as another series of weather systems tracks across southwestern BC. A statement from the BC Blueberry Council this week described the flooding as “an unprecedented event of great …
Mortalities less than expected
A clearer picture is emerging of livestock losses as a result of last week’s flooding and landslides in the Lower Mainland and southern Interior. The good news is, it’s not all bad. A preliminary assessment by the BC Dairy Association this week indicates that 500 cattle perished on Sumas Prairie, a fraction of the approximately …
Province won’t relocate farms
Preventing development in disaster-prone areas is on the table as the province seeks to mitigate risk from future floods and wildfires, but BC’s minister of public safety says farms shouldn’t worry. Pointing to the lessons learned from the floods that tore through farmland and residential neighbourhoods after a dike broke in Grand Forks in 2018, …
Grand Forks ducks flood
The flood watch is not completely over for farmers and residents in Grand Forks, but there is good news. Heavy rains over the weekend raised the Granby and Kettle rivers to flood stage May 31 and by end of the day on June 1, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary’s Emergency Operations Centre had issued …
Flood buyout bypasses farmers
May is the month when Grand Forks residents watch the Granby and Kettle rivers for signs of flooding. This year, local snowpacks were 119% of normal May 1, above the provincial average of 106% but well below the levels that triggered extensive flooding in 2018. Recent cool temperatures mean the snow pack remains stable but …