A state of emergency has been declared in a first Nations community on Vancouver Island after rising water levels threaten to flood as many as two dozen homes.
The Somass River has been swollen due to heavy downpour leading sandbagging operation in the area, The Canadian Press mentioned quoting Tseshaht Chief Councillor Hugh Braker as saying. Tseshaht is located just west of Port Alberni.
Emergency declaration will allow the Tseshaht Council to pre-emptively commit resources toward flood prevention measures.
According to The Globe and Mail, the B.C. River Forecast Centre issued a release warning the river to rise later in the week also due to the forecast storms, with a 24-hour rainfall prediction of up to 70 millimetres from Tuesday to Thursday.