Mudslide that closed Highway 1 between Popkum and Hope. (Photo credit: Twitter/BC Transportation)

By Pete McIntyre

Update

Roads closed, up to 100 vehicles trapped by mudslides

Nov 15, 2021 | 2:15 PM

UPDATE: 2:00 p.m.

Canadian Forces helicopters are starting the first of multiple rescue flights for hundreds of people trapped between two mudslides on a British Columbia highway.

Vancouver’s Urban Search and Rescue Team says about 50 children are among those stuck near Agassiz.

As many as 275 people have been waiting for rescue in their vehicles since being cut off by the slides late yesterday, following more than a day of torrential rain in the area.

Thousands of residents in the Fraser Valley and the city of Merritt have been forced to evacuate due to flooding. (The Canadian Press)
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UPDATE: 1:00 p.m.

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The following video was posted by an Okanagan family who got stuck between the mudslides and closed roads while trying to get back to the Interior.

It shows the high water levels off the highway in the Abbotsford area.

UPDATE: 12:15 p.m.

Highway 1 has reopened between Sicamous and Revelstoke.

It is a mess on many highways in British Columbia today with multiple road closures caused by heavy rain the last few days.

The Coquihalla Highway is closed between Merritt and Hope until further notice while Highway 1 is shutdown at Three Valley Gap west of Revelstoke due to rocks and debris falling on the road.

“The situation is dynamic,” said public safety minister Mike Farnworth at a Monday news conference.

The Coquihalla corridor has received about 200 milmetres of rain, with reports of damage to the roadway and an assessment underway.

The mudslide on the Coquihalla is 11 km south of Great Bear Snowshed.

Check Drive BC for the latest updates.

Between 80 to 100 vehicles were trapped between landslides on Highway 7 near Agassiz in the Fraser Valley overnight.

“Those folks are safe. We have been able to have some contact with those folks and our priority now is how to get those folks out,” said Janelle Staite from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Farnworth said search and rescue teams have been deployed to that area to assist the stranded motorists, and air rescue may also be used.

Merritt has been one of the hardest hit communities due to flooding with about 2,000 residents evacuated so far.

Due to damage to the water system, residents in Merritt can not use any water including running faucets or flushing toilets until further notice.

“If required, the entire community may have to be evacuated and we are setting up supports in Kamloops and Kelowna,” Farnworth explained.

Flooding has also led to evacuation alerts and orders in the Fraser Valley, such as Abbotsford.

“Water is rising so quickly and it’s challenging the capacity of our culverts,” said Janelle Staite from the Ministry of Transportation.

Armel Castallan with Environment Canada said the rain should taper off this afternoon with a cold front moving in, bringing colder weather and gusty winds.

“Potential power outages are likely with this secondary pulse into the afternoon and evening,” said Castellan.

People are advised not to drive on Interior highways if possible today, but if you must travel you should watch for pooling water, have a full tank of gas along with food, water and a fully charged cell phone.

BC HIGHWAY CLOSURES AS OF 9 A.M. MONDAY
#BCHwy1 – #AgassizBC to #SpencesBridgeBC.
#BCHwy1 – #Sicamous to #Revelstoke
#BCHwy1A – In #CowichanBay
#BCHwy3 at #SunshineValleyBC & East of #PrincetonBC
#BCHwy5 – #HopeBC to #MerrittBC
#BCHwy7 – #MapleRidgeBC to #HopeBC
#BCHwy11 – #MissionBC to #AbbotsfordBC
#BCHwy93 – #RadiumHotSprings to #Banff
More details @DriveBC and @EmergencyInfoBC