A state of emergency was called in Chilliwack on Thursday, after rains and snowmelt caused massive flooding and mudslides, closing roads and seriously damaging as many as 40 homes.
One woman was pulled to safety by her father after a mudslide swept through the home and into the basement where she was sleeping. She said she awoke under a deluge of mud and thought she was drowning.
The torrent of water and mud also washed away Nixon Road, cutting off access to hundreds of people, and 30 families have been evacuated from their homes in Greendale.
The province said it will provide financial assistance for 80 per cent of damages up to $300,000 for claims filed around the Lower Mainland. Meanwhile, crews worked round the clock to deal with drainage problems that were threatening to flood the city’s downtown core.
