Western Canada: In B.C., a new ‘parade of storms’ threatens fragile flood recovery

Good morning. Wendy Cox in Vancouver here.

The record-smashing rains of two weeks ago had never been seen before in British Columbia, where rainy Novembers are standard. Now, people throughout the southern part of the province are braced for more heavy rain. We don’t need to eclipse the record of earlier this month to see more damage; the fragility of the repairs made so far could be jeopardized by what an Environment Canada meteorologist warned would be a “parade of storms” that will last into early next week.

Already, there was disconcerting news. The Trans Mountain Pipeline, which supplies the Lower Mainland with 90 per cent of its gas, was expected to be back online by the end of the week after it had been shut down to ensure the flooding had not damaged its span. Parts of the pipeline that were supposed to be underground were exposed by the heavy rain and the line had to undergo a thorough inspection. The shutdown prompted the B.C. government to introduce gas rationing and to urge against unnecessary travel in an effort to conserve fuel.

But on Thursday, Trans Mountain Corp. said work to restart a key oil pipeline has been delayed.

“With the continued deterioration of weather conditions in the region in the coming days, Trans Mountain is closely monitoring the situation to ensure our crews can continue to progress safely,” the statement said.

The pipeline remained “safely in a static condition,” the company said, as more than 400 workers and 100 pieces of equipment were on repair duties.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the flood area for the first time Friday, stopping in Abbotsford where farmers of everything from dairy, eggs and pork to vegetables, blueberries and even saffron, have had their life’s work wiped out.

Reporter Andrea Woo slogged through the muck of several farms earlier this week to speak with those still in shock. In a vivid description of the devastation, Andrea wrote: “At one poultry farm, a front loader cleared liquefied piles of chicken carcasses from their waterlogged barns. Feet and beaks protruded from the brown sludge. Behind the barns, fans blew throughout the farmhouse, drying out structures stripped of drywall as a small crew worked to repair extensive damage from the flood.”

In Merritt, reporter Nancy Macdonald toured the city with a photographer as the first of the evacuees were allowed back to examine their homes. She writes today: “Wasted, toppled vehicles lay buried in six feet of sand. Downed telephone poles lie criss-crossed in the silt, like a giant’s chopsticks. Two streets appear to no longer exist. Outbuildings were ripped from their foundations and hurtled downstream by the raging Coldwater River, frothing last week with primal madness.”

It’s unclear so far what Ottawa can do to help these people or the province beyond providing a so-far unfathomable amount of money.

The provincial government hasn’t ventured a guess at the resources needed to help the province rebuild. Transportation Minister Rob Fleming on Friday told a news briefing there are an estimated 200 highway sites that were damaged or destroyed last week by washouts in the province’s Interior and south coast, where some smaller stranded communities are still having fuel, food and other essential goods airdropped.

When asked about the cost, he would only offer “a precise figure of a lot.”

This is the weekly Western Canada newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox and Alberta Bureau Chief James Keller. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.