Flooding prompts state of local emergency in Comox Valley, B.C.

The Comox Valley Regional District, a community of about 72,000 people on mid-Vancouver Island, has issued a state of local emergency in response to current flood conditions.

Earlier on Friday, the City of Courtenay, one of three municipalities in the Comox Valley, issued a flood warning for Dove Creek and the surrounding areas due to “very heavy” rainfall.

The city said river flows were higher than what is expected during a 100-year flood event.

An evacuation order was issued for the Maple Pool Campground and 12 properties on Friday afternoon amid the state of local emergency.

Near the downtown area, Lewis Park and the Lewis Centre were closed earlier in the day due to high water levels nearby.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre issued a flood warning — meaning that flooding was imminent — for the Courtenay and Tsolum rivers, as well as Dove Creek, on Friday afternoon.

In the warning, the provincial forecast centre says that a series of storms that had moved into coastal B.C. are expected to continue over the next few days.

“Stay safe in and around rivers through the region,” the warning reads. “Be prepared for driving conditions and potential road washouts and check local conditions on DriveBC.ca.”

Will Cole-Hamilton, the chair of the Comox Valley Regional District, told CBC News late Friday afternoon that the evacuation orders were for low-lying properties.

Some livestock, including sheep, had to be carried out by firefighters.

“Because we’ve passed high tide, we’re looking at diminishing water levels, which is encouraging,” Cole-Hamilton said.

Still, he said the evacuation orders would stay in place overnight and officials would monitor the tides and water levels.

Cole-Hamilton added it was the first time he had declared a state of local emergency in three years as regional district chair.

He said the last time the local rivers flooded like this was in 2014.

“It’s a rare thing. I mean, that’s a dozen years ago. And that’s the only example I can think of that’s been comparable,” he said.

‘Massive amount of water’: MLA

Local MLA Brennan Day was checking in on residents at the Maple Pool Campground, where many people live in recreational vehicles.

A CBC News reporter on site saw visible flooding and residents moving their possessions to drier areas, including efforts to move RVs out of the way.

“There is a massive amount of water coming down the river, and the dam is currently overtopping at Comox Lake,” Day said from the area earlier on Friday.

A spokesperson for B.C. Hydro later clarified in an email that the Comox Lake Reservoir dam was not being overtopped.

As of 5 p.m. PT, the spokesperson said the water level at the reservoir stood at around 134.73 metres above sea level, and water freely spilled over the dam at 135.33 metres.

Earlier Friday, Day was at his parents’ property in Dove Creek, and he said the river was “raging.”

The regional district is warning people to say away from flood-prone areas and fast-moving water.

Day told CBC’s All Points West late Friday afternoon that the rain seemed to have let up, but he continued to urge extreme caution for residents.

“I think what’s important here is that a lot of those people are going to lose possessions going through this and it’s important that, as a community, we rally behind them and make sure that they’re rebuilt after this,” the MLA said.

Highway 28 washout

DriveBC shows Highway 28 on Vancouver Island, which is the only connection between Campbell River and Gold River, is closed due to a washout.

A spokesperson for the B.C. Transportation Ministry said in a statement that a detour was unavailable as of Friday evening.

“A culvert meant to manage rainfall runoff became blocked, with water overtopping the road,” the spokesperson wrote.

The statement added that a damage assessment was underway.