Trudeau says Ottawa ready to provide B.C. flooding recovery assistance

OTTAWA —
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is ready to provide help for those affected by the devastating flooding in British Columbia on Monday.

“We’re ready to provide whatever assistance is needed as you deal with and recover from the flooding and this extreme weather,” the prime minister said in a statement . “We’re here for you.”

The province has been hammered with a weather system since Sunday with rain causing flooding, mudslides, rockslides and widespread highway closures between the Lower Mainland and Southern Interior.

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair said Monday Ottawa had been in touch with the province and “stand ready to support British Columbians, if needed.”

There are various evacuation orders in place, including for the entire city of Merritt, home to more than 7,000 residents.

In response to Merritt’s order, B.C. Premier John Horgan urged residents to heed public safety advice.

“With heavy rain and flooding in much of BC, it is critical to follow direction from local emergency officials. If you’re asked to evacuate your home, please go immediately. The number one priority is keeping people safe,” he tweeted.

Greg Lowis, Merritt’s emergency operations centre information officer told CTV News Channel on Monday, support is coming in from different channels.

“We’ve had volunteers from the ministry of forests, lands and natural resources. We’re working with our local RCMP detachment. I know that we’ve had communications with the premier’s office…we’ve been very fortunate to be able to work with a lot of organizations to try to get as good of a result as possible,” he said.

The most up-to-date information on evacuation orders and alerts are available on city and regional district websites, and through Emergency Info B.C.

With a file from CTV News’ Andrew Weichel