Historic levels of rainfall across southern British Columbia and western Washington State have caused flooding and landslides that have destroyed roads and forced thousands of residents to flee. An “atmospheric river” carried storms in from the Pacific that dropped as much as 8 inches of rain on some areas over the weekend, causing rivers to overflow and low-lying plains to flood. At least one death has been blamed on the flooding so far.
Record Rainfall Floods British Columbia and Washington State
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![A person riding a personal watercraft holds a rope attached to a halter on a cow swimming in deep floodwater.]()
Read moreCows that were stranded in a flooded barn are rescued by people in boats and personal watercraft in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on November 16, 2021. #
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![Black smoke rises from a lot of burning RV trailers, seen from a distance, on a broad flooded plain.]()
Read moreRV trailers burn in a storage yard after flooding in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on November 17, 2021. #
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![Three aerial images of flood-damaged roads, bridges, and railroads.]()
Read moreAerial views from the B.C. Ministry of Transportation show a washed-out bridge on the Coquihalla Highway near Carolin Mine Road (left), damaged roads near Seabird Island (center), and a flood-damaged road and railroad near Lytton, British Columbia, on November 15, 2021. #
B.C. Ministry of Transportation / Reuters -
![A sailboat rests on its side along a beach, bashed by waves.]()
Read moreA sailboat rests on its side where it was driven ashore by high winds in Vancouver, British Columbia, on November 15, 2021. #
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![A person rides a bike on a flooded shoreline sidewalk, near a grounded barge, with waves splashing everything.]()
Read moreA man rides a bicycle along the seawall past a barge that broke loose from its mooring and crashed ashore in Vancouver, British Columbia, on November 15, 2021. #
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![Several people wade into waist-deep water covering a road to push a partially-submerged, partially-floating car to safety.]()
Read moreIn Ferndale, Washington, rescuers rush into the flooded Nooksack River to stop a car with the driver still inside from floating away on Main Street, on November 16, 2021. The group of citizens went into the river and stopped the car, whose driver had gone past a road-closed sign, then muscled it back to shore. No one was injured. #
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![A still from a video shows a person being rescued by helicopter, lifted into the air above floodwater.]()
Read moreA U.S. Coast Guard air crew rescues people from floodwaters near Forks, Washington, on November 15, 2021. #
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![A man operates a personal watercraft along a flooded road.]()
Read moreA man operates a personal watercraft along a road flooded by overflow from the Skagit River in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, on November 15, 2021. #
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![A person kayaks on a flooded stretch of farmland.]()
Read moreA person kayaks on a flooded stretch of farmland in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on November 16, 2021. #
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![A person drives a large tractor, pulling a livestock trailer out of a flooded area.]()
Read moreFarmers use a tractor to rescue cattle from a flooded barn in Abbotsford on November 16, 2021. #
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![A helicopter descends into a narrow mountain valley, above a mudslide-covered road.]()
Read moreA Royal Canadian Air Force 442 Squadron CH-149 Cormorant helicopter lands during the rescue of more than 300 motorists stranded by mudslides, in Agassiz, British Columbia, on November 15, 2021. #
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![A large helicopter lands on a flood-damaged road.]()
Read moreA Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter lands to rescue motorists stranded by mudslides, in Agassiz, British Columbia, on November 15, 2021. #
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![A view of two lines of stranded cars on a road, seen from aboard a rescue helicopter.]()
Read moreA crew member from a Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter views a line of vehicles during rescue operations in Agassiz on November 15, 2021. #
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![Several cows wade through floodwater near a barn.]()
Read moreStranded cows wander near a flooded barn shortly before their rescue in Abbotsford on November 16, 2021. #
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![A person in a small boat pulls a rope to lead a swimming cow out of deep floodwater.]()
Read moreA stranded cow is led to dry land in Abbotsford on November 16, 2021. #
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![A person pushes while another (unseen) pulls to move a reluctant cow onto land and out of the water.]()
Read moreA stranded cow is urged ashore by a group of people in Abbotsford on November 16, 2021. #
Jennifer Gauthier / Reuters -
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![A station wagon sits half-submerged in floodwater, near a street sign.]()
Read moreA vehicle sits submerged in water after flooding in Abbotsford, seen on November 16, 2021. #
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![An aerial view of a partially-flooded valley.]()
Read moreFloodwater covers neighborhoods a day after severe rain prompted the evacuation of the city of 7,000 in Merritt, British Columbia, on November 16, 2021. #
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![RV trailers are seen burning in a lot surrounded by floodwater.]()
Read moreRV trailers burn in a storage yard in Abbotsford on November 17, 2021. #
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![Cars and a street are covered in mud after a flood, in a residential neighborhood.]()
Read moreThick mud covers vehicles a day after severe rain flooded the southern interior town of Princeton, British Columbia, on November 16, 2021. #
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![A person carries a large hose into the flooded basement of a house.]()
Read moreResidents pump water from a house a day after severe storms hit Princeton on November 16, 2021. #
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![Cars on a partially-flooded road pass by a car in a ditch that is submerged to its roof.]()
Read moreA car lies submerged in a ditch on a flooded stretch of road in Chilliwack, British Columbia, on November 15, 2021. #
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![An aerial view of a flooded plain and highway near mountains.]()
Read moreFloodwater covers the Trans-Canada Highway 1, seen in an aerial view taken near Abbotsford, British Columbia, on November 16, 2021. #
BC Hydro / Reuters
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