Sunday, Nov. 14
As the non-stop rain continues at a furious pace, it becomes clear just after noon that the situation on the roads is quickly turning into chaos. Reports of mudslides, closures and crashes pour in at an alarming rate.
Shortly after 1 p.m., B.C.’s transportation and emergency social media accounts begin cranking up their warnings for the first time all weekend. DriveBC, travellers’ primary source for highway conditions in the province, begins asking drivers to “avoid any unnecessary travel” — but thousands of long weekend travellers were already on the road.
Emergency crews direct traffic through Abbotsford, B.C., after intense flooding closed a number of major highways in southern B.C. on Sunday. (Shane MacKichan)
Steep hillsides above the highways, already weakened by the fall’s rain and astronomical heat during the summer, simply give way over the course of the afternoon. Tsunamis of mud and debris come crashing into the road, pushing more than a dozen cars off the hill.
Traveller Paul Deol speaks about spending Sunday night in his vehicle with his family after being stuck between landslides near Agassiz, B.C., and how people came together as a community.
As night falls, nearly every major highway across southern B.C. is closed. Hundreds of travellers spend their first night trapped under the thundering downpour in their cars or in strangers’ communities.
Abandoned vehicles are seen where a mudslide happened on Highway 7, west of Agassiz, B.C. (The Canadian Press)
More than 1,100 travellers were stranded in Hope, B.C., after major highways were ruined or blocked by mudslides on Sunday. Many would spend days in the area, largely staying in their cars. (Submitted by Mitchell Cross)
In the Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver, the rain overwhelms small rivers and creeks that wouldn’t usually be considered flood risks. The ground, already soaked to its limit, can’t take any more water.
By 9 p.m., the city of Abbotsford is under a local state of emergency as water reaches homes.
Fire crews responding to a mudslide on Highway 7 near Agassiz, B.C., on Sunday gather at a command post set up at a nearby gas station. (Shane MacKichan)
