$1.00 + HST Vol. 26 | No. 19 Thursday, September 30, 2010
Laurie Sissons photo
Highway 20 is washed out in several sections - this shot is near Floyd Mecham's field - look closely and you can see the footbridge connected the two chunks of highway.
Bella Coola experiences worst flood on record The Valley is under siege this week as flood waters wreaked havoc from the top of the hill to the townsite. Hardest hit were Hagensborg, Grant Road North, Walker Island, Saloompt and Firvale. The storm saw the Bella Coola rise a reported 14 feet to reach an all time high. Stephen Waugh, Central Coast Regional District Emergency Program Coordinator, said 204 millimetres of rain fell between Friday night and Saturday afternoon alone. “It was shocking, absolutely shocking how much water has come down here in such
a short period of time,� said Waugh. He flew over the area Sunday to do an assessment and said the damage was staggering. "It's a huge event. It's going to go on for a long, long time." The airstrip was awash in water while slides closed have closed the hill indefinitely. Preliminary estimates are for months before the only route into the Valley will re-open. Creeks up top turned into raging rivers, taking out bridges and rendering much of the road impassable between Anahim Lake and Heckman Pass. Damage to Highway 20 is
phenomenal. Aerial pictures show sections of highway completely destroyed with sections absolutely impassable all the way from McClinchey River to the airport. Crews are still surveying the damage The provincial government has declared the area a disaster zone and therefore Bella Coola residents are now eligible for assistance under the Disaster Financial Assistance Program. As of Tuesday morning, September 28, people were being asked to conserve fuel as Clayton Falls hydro facility was damaged and the entire system
was running on diesel with limited fuel supply. People were also being asked to avoid the hospital and clinic unless it was imminent that they see a doctor as many staff were unable to get to work. The Central Coast Regional District has opened its Emergency Operations Centre in their Bella Coola administration office and is currently available for information from 7am to 9pm daily. The public information number is (250) 982-0062. No injuries or serious issues have been reported to date.
Evacuations were carried out from the Dean River up to Firvale with boats ferrying residents out of Grant Road North and Walker Island while helicopters picked people up from the Dean River, Hammer Road, and Anahim Lake. Waugh called it "the flood of record," saying it far exceeded the last record flood in 1968. The Bailey Bridge in Saloopmt remains washed out, trapping people in their homes. Waugh did not have exact numbers, but estimated 100 people in the valley were forced to flee SEE FLOOD ON PAGE 3