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Good news at last for flood-hit Canadian province

by Mike Robinson

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© Reuters. Broken dike after heavy rainstorms ravaged British Columbia’s western province, Canada. It caused floods and landslides that closed highways in Abbottsford (British Columbia), Canada, November 19, 2021. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

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By Jesse Winter

HOPE in British Columbia (Reuters – On Friday, the flood-ravaged Canadian province of British Columbia got some positive news. Canadian Pacific Railway stated that it would restore service by the middle next week.

Extreme rainfall caused massive floods and mudslides that destroyed bridges, roads and homes. It also cut off two crucial east-west railway lines belonging to CP and Canadian National Railway. These rail lines lead to Vancouver’s busiest port.

CP stated that work would be continued to fix damaged infrastructure and to restore rail service between Kamloops, BC and Vancouver.

Salem Woodrow, spokesperson for the company said that service would be restored by mid-week, assuming no unforeseen problems.

The disaster looks set to be the costliest natural disaster https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-10-costliest-natural-disasters-by-insurance-claims-2021-11-17 to ever hit Canada.

Exporters of commodities had to scramble to divert their shipments from Vancouver due to the railway shut downs. This underscored Canada’s vulnerability to climate change.

First, the restoration of rail service will begin a huge effort to rebuild smashed infrastructure in a vastly mountainous region that spans 360,000 sq miles (925,000 km), roughly equaling Nigeria.

In Abbotsford (to the east from Vancouver), water pumps still work. Officials said that if they stop working, all 160,000 inhabitants may be forced to move.

Bruce Banman is a provincial lawmaker representing the region. He surveyed the damage by helicopter Friday and determined that about half the Sumas-rich Sumas prairie was still underwater.

He stated that “the damage is substantial, and it’s devastating.” It is heartbreaking to watch. Farmers are still working to save their livestock.

Infrastructure repairs would alone cost C$1 billion (790 million), he said, and this does not account for the crop losses.

He said that he was speaking with a farmer about his cabbage and Brussels sprouts still to be harvested.

($1 = 1.2648 Canadian dollars)

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