BC Flooding & road washouts

[EDM620]

The recent storm hitting the Lower Mainland BC plus Washington State have resulted in complete total washouts of major highways plus rail lines in BC, effectively cutting Vancouver off from the rest of the country. The level of this impact will take weeks to even figure out.

 

Just a couple of pics. Mike & others who live in BC can add for more detailed info.

[Dguy210]

2 hours ago, EDM620 said:

The recent storm hitting the Lower Mainland BC plus Washington State have resulted in complete total washouts of major highways plus rail lines in BC, effectively cutting Vancouver off from the rest of the country. The level of this impact will take weeks to even figure out.

 

Just a couple of pics. Mike & others who live in BC can add for more detailed info.

 

I had heard about this but those pictures are crazy. 

 

Hope all y'all in the area are dry and safe.

[EDM620]

I'm normally on those highways up to 4 times a week, guess I won't be driving there for a while.

[ratpatrol66]

Skagit and Whatcom County were hit hard. Chillwack and Abbosford BC got pounded.

[Lockleaf]

Wow that's horrible.  I had heard about flooding up there but hadnt seen any photos.

[datzenmike]

Coquihalla is a fast track super hi-way from Hope to Kamloops that avoids the Frasier and Thompson river canyon that the Trans Canada Highway takes. Last I saw only one direction was gone. Impressive. Traffic will have to go the slow route down the Trans Canada.... if it's even worth going down because the Delta that Vancouver is on is also flooded. Still, floods don't last forever. 

 

I'm on mid Vancouver Island and most of the rain was south island. Henderson lake about 40-50 miles SE of me receives over 7,300mm of rain a year 23 feet! One year it was 9,300mm or 30.5 feet of rain. But I digress...

 

Everything on the island has to come by truck on ferry through Vancouver. Bottled water and TP (for the idiots) will go first followed by fresh produce. I'm not worried. Got lots of beans.

[EDM620]

I'm just back from the Okanagan Valley, panic buying already underway and stores closing due to no inventory coming from Vancouver.

 

Heard 3rd hand of bridge techs out searching for bridges that have totally washed away, potentially creating new problems downstream. Highway 1 (Trans-Canada), Hwy 5 (Coquihalla) and Hwy 7 are impassable. Hwy 3 ok but connects to Hwy 1 by Hope.

 

Some footage forwarded to me:

 

That RV Dealership is a big one, I drive past it often. Virually everything burnt to the ground, total loss. Not sure if in the attached video, but have seen a campground that disappeared with an RV that had been in it.

[datzenmike]

They don't call it a 'flood plain' for nothing. This material, basically from Hope to Vancouver, was deposited by the Frasier River which also has the Thompson (north and south arm) feeding into it. It drains an area of about 920 x 920 miles or 85,000 sq miles. If you have ever traveled up the Frasier from Litton to Lillooet  and farther west there is a vast canyon carved out of the earth. The South Thompson east and west of Kamloops to Litton where it meets the Frasier us also gouged.

[ratpatrol66]

I have a friend that lives in Yarrow just east of Chilliwack. Big land slide damn near took out the house.