Canada has declared a state of emergency for the western province of British Columbia after violent floods that disrupted rail and road links in the region.
The authorities have deployed the army to rescue thousands of trapped inhabitants. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged assistance and reported that the military will contribute to the reconstruction. The toll of record rains – which caused landslides and floods, and effectively isolated Vancouver – is for one woman dead and two people missing.
British Columbia Prime Minister John Horgan blamed the climate crisis for the violent storms, “this is an event that occurs every hundred years,” he said.
In the past few days, some 7,000 residents of the city of Merritt, 300km from Vancouver, have been evacuated. “We expect this order to remain in effect for more than a week,” the municipality said. Furthermore, the railway connection with the port of Vancouver, essential for the supply of the metropolis, was interrupted. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government is ready to assist people in need.
Bad weather also arrived in the state of Washington, on the Pacific coast of the United States, where 158 thousand families were left without electricity. Additionally, a major storm coming to the United States is expected to hit the east coast early next week, just as most Americans are about to hit the road for Thanksgiving. “Even if there is still almost a week left and the forecasts may change, a storm is currently forecast that will disrupt the traffic of planes, trains and cars,” explained CNN meteorologist Chad Myers, warning that the situation could turn out to be a nightmare for the travelers. Experts believe the blizzard is likely to begin in the Midwest on Sunday and pick up before arriving on the East Coast on Monday or Tuesday, bringing strong winds and snow in some areas to the north, thunderstorms and heavy rain further south. At the same time, a secondary disturbance system could develop along the coast, worsening weather conditions in places like New York.