B.C. photographers: everybody safe?

[Alex Benjamin]

Title says it all. I know there are a few photogs here who live in British Columbia. Just wanted to check if everybody was OK, considering all the flooding and landslides going on.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Up here on BC's north coast all is well, except for empty shelves in supermarkets because trucks aren't making it here from the lower mainland.

Our 24 hour record here in Kitimat is 179mm, or 7 inches (which is much less than Prince Rupert would get) while Hope got 252mm or 10 inches in 48 hours. Added to that total was all the snow in the mountains which melted when the temperature jumped.

This might not sound like a lot for some people, but the mountains focus it all into narrow valley bottoms.

Our geology on the north coast is set up for the kind of rain the south west corner of BC just got. I was halfway between here and Bella Bella on the outer coast once during heavy winter rain which had been going for days. All the creeks and rivers were running up into the trees, but the thing that struck me was that they were running absolutely clear...they weren't muddy at all. Our valley here has been heavily logged, but still shrugs off pretty much anything thrown at it.

We can get 7 feet of snow in two days. That shuts things down for a while.

 

[MattKing]

Thanks for thinking of us.
braxus is the only member here that I can think of (and who I haven't heard from) who I would be concerned about, because he lives in an area that has been hit hard. A lot of the residential areas there are, however, up on the adjacent hills...
Where I used to live is protected by some very substantial dykes, and where I live now is on an outcrop of volcanic rock that is sufficiently above sea level as to be fine, although the farmers fields that surround are partially submerged, and the adjacent ditches are very high.
Other friends who live in Abbotsford are in the higher levels, so while their transportation situation is complicated, they are fine.
The weird part of the situation is how it has hit so many of the transportation corridors. We are cut off from so much that travels to us from the east.
Apparently a lot of the commercial truck transport is being diverted through the US. That is a very substantial undertaking because we have multiple, very busy ports here.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

I didn't know that Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford where such heavy flooding damage was done used to be Sumas Lake.

Apparently is was drained in the 1920's to create rich farming land and lies below the level of the Fraser River. Over 1,000 homes were also built in the area.

Nature does have a way of asserting itself into the plans of humans...

 

[Alex Benjamin]

Nature does have a way of asserting itself into the plans of humans...

This sums it up pretty well.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

All good in Coquitlam. Had a few sleepiness nights worrying about the creek being my house. Went to get petrol for the car. Got my 30 litre limit. Supermarket shelves looking sparse.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Bit of history: https://fvcurrent.com/article/sumas-lake-flooding-history/

 

[Kino]

Good Luck to all the BC members!

Hope you remain safe.

 

[Alex Benjamin]

Bit of history: https://fvcurrent.com/article/sumas-lake-flooding-history/

Thanks for the historical - and geological - perspective.

On a side note, listening to the story on the news, I keep being reminded that when I was a teenager I had an album by a rock band called Chilliwack - apart from BTO, one of the few albums I had by a Canadian rock band (I was mostly a prog head back then). Can recall the music, but I remember how evocative that name seemed to me. There were or course no Google Maps back then, so I couldn't really look it up, but the word made me dream of the West as a fantastic land.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Thanks for the historical - and geological - perspective.

On a side note, listening to the story on the news, I keep being reminded that when I was a teenager I had an album by a rock band called Chilliwack - apart from BTO, one of the few albums I had by a Canadian rock band (I was mostly a prog head back then). Can recall the music, but I remember how evocative that name seemed to me. There were or course no Google Maps back then, so I couldn't really look it up, but the word made me dream of the West as a fantastic land.

I'm a huge BTO and Chilliwack fan! And Rush!

 

[BAC1967]

I didn't know that Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford where such heavy flooding damage was done used to be Sumas Lake.

Apparently is was drained in the 1920's to create rich farming land and lies below the level of the Fraser River. Over 1,000 homes were also built in the area.

Nature does have a way of asserting itself into the plans of humans...

I just recently learned about Sumas Lake as well. The Sumas Flooding extended across the boarder into Washington State and caused a lot of damage there as well. I live near Seattle, we were in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains so we didn’t get hit as hard as they were predicting though we did get some flooding nearby. The freezing level went way up and caused a lot of snowmelt, that’s always a recipe for disaster around here.

 

[Sirius Glass]

What you are going through is terrible and I wish you the best.


Please sent the rain to Southern California. It never rains here anymore.

 

[mooseontheloose]

Glad to hear most of our BC members are doing well. I used to live in Kamloops and had to drive through Hope on my way to and from Vancouver. Seeing how people got stuck there for days brought back some vivid memories of deep and isolated some of the valleys can be. I don't know when the roads and rails will be repaired and up and running again (something that won't be made any easier having to do it in the winter months) but hopefully they'll figure things out sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the historical - and geological - perspective.

On a side note, listening to the story on the news, I keep being reminded that when I was a teenager I had an album by a rock band called Chilliwack - apart from BTO, one of the few albums I had by a Canadian rock band (I was mostly a prog head back then). Can recall the music, but I remember how evocative that name seemed to me. There were or course no Google Maps back then, so I couldn't really look it up, but the word made me dream of the West as a fantastic land.

The only song I really know from Chilliwack is "Fly by Night", which I love listening to while driving. Same goes for most BTO songs as well.

 

[MattKing]

Lonesome Mary is another memorable Chilliwack number:

 

[winger]

It's terrible that you're going through this. I hope fixes are good and quick (I know, when government's in charge, good luck with that).

I'm thinking about you.

 

[MattKing]

It's terrible that you're going through this. I hope fixes are good and quick (I know, when government's in charge, good luck with that).

I'm thinking about you.

Thanks Bethe.
Actually, the government (including the military) have made tremendous progress so far, but there are some major holes in highways and rail lines that are going to be very demanding and difficult.
And the general cleanup issues are going to be slow and expensive - particularly when insurance is involved.
And the tremendous loss of livestock is very sad.

 

[MattKing]

It is always useful to have pictures:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...s-sumas-prairie-before-after-images-1.6258803

 

[Luckless]

Now more on the way as well. Forecasts aren't looking nearly as bad as the previous one, and I'm hoping all the gas-panic buyers are feeling more comfortable with their hoards, but I imagine we're in for some more slides and sinkholes over the next month or two.

Thankfully I don't have to venture too far from the core here in Victoria, and nothing really flooded out too badly around my place. Really hoping conditions don't worsen for anyone on the mainland.

 

[Alex Benjamin]

Now more on the way as well. Forecasts aren't looking nearly as bad as the previous one, and I'm hoping all the gas-panic buyers are feeling more comfortable with their hoards, but I imagine we're in for some more slides and sinkholes over the next month or two.

Thankfully I don't have to venture too far from the core here in Victoria, and nothing really flooded out too badly around my place. Really hoping conditions don't worsen for anyone on the mainland.

I just read that in the news. Lots more water coming in the next few days - scientists actually call the phenomena "atmospheric rivers".
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatoneart...w-are-they-affecting-the-b-c-floods-1.6253763

Hope everyone can stay safe.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Lonesome Mary is another memorable Chilliwack number:

I can't count the number is times I saw them live. Bill Henderson is an amazing vocalist and guitarist.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I have to pop into Superstore today at some point. Hope there is milk!

 

[MattKing]

Don't underestimate the power of Mother Nature:
https://vancouversun.com/news/hydro-pole-in-b-c-interior-travels-down-three-rivers-to-tsawwassen

 

[Kilgallb]

We can get 7 feet of snow in two days. That shuts things down for a while.

Well Kitimat does mean people of the snow.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Well Kitimat does mean people of the snow.

Hey, did you live here at one time? Not many people know what Kitimat (or Kitamaat) means in Haisla.

 

[Kilgallb]

Hey, did you live here at one time? Not many people know what Kitimat (or Kitamaat) means in Haisla.

I used to go annually to Kitimat to fish for Salmon. My buddy was a radio announcer there for several years.