Mudslide triggers evacuations near Pemberton and Squamish

Heavy flooding washed out roads in Pemberton, B.C., on Sept. 21, 2015. (CTV/Nafeesa Karim)

Heavy rain wreaked havoc along the Sea-to-Sky corridor over the weekend, leaving dozens of campers stranded and triggering evacuation orders near Pemberton and Squamish.

About 150 millimetres of rain fell in the area over three days, causing mudslides that washed out several roads and cut off access to a campground where 24 people were forced to spend Sunday night.

Another seven people, including two children, were airlifted out by rescue crews.

Rainfall also sent the Squamish River surging, sweeping away at least five vehicles and flooding nearby properties in the upper Squamish Valley.

Local beekeeper Todd Griffiths said he lost six bee colonies to the rushing floodwaters.

“It was coming up at a rate that was pretty ferocious,” Griffiths said. “It’s definitely pretty intimidating to see.”

The river was also littered with trees, something Squamish Search and Rescue manager Katy Chambers blamed on the massive area burned by the Elaho wildfire over the summer.

“Any precipitation that’s falling in the mountains is coming straight down and washing a lot of large trees and debris with it,” she said.

“There’s 80, 100-foot trees washing down the river with big root balls on them.”

A local state of emergency was ordered in Pemberton, and an evacuation order was issued for half a dozen cabins in nearby Birken.

No injuries have been reported but officials with the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District said an unoccupied cabin was destroyed.

The slides also knocked out power to more than 250 BC Hydro customers Sunday and electricity isn’t expected be restored until Monday evening.

For the latest information on evacuation orders and alerts, visit the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District website.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Nafeesa Karim