Evacuations have been ordered and a state of local emergency has been declared over drenching rain on northern Vancouver Island.
The Village of Zeballos has ordered the evacuation of 22 properties because of landslide risks that it says pose a threat to life and safety.
Photos posted on social media showed water coursing down slopes and over roads.
The Strathcona Regional District, which covers the region that includes parts of the coastal mainland, declared the local emergency.
“The Village of Zeballos and [the district] are actively monitoring flooding and potential landslide risks in the area,” it said.
“Both the Village of Zeballos and [district] Emergency Operations Centres are activated and co-ordinating response efforts.”
The emergency has been triggered by the first major weather system of British Columbia’s storm season, which has also set off wind and rainfall warnings across most of the province’s coast and parts of the Interior.
Ferry sailings have been cancelled and high streamflow advisories are also in place.
Rainfall of up to 130 millimetres has been forecast for parts of Vancouver Island and the central coast, where a rainfall warning issued Thursday remains in effect.
Environment Canada also issued rainfall warnings for parts of Metro Vancouver, including the North Shore and Coquitlam-Maple Ridge, with up to 80 millimetres expected at higher elevations.
Wind warnings cover southern parts of Metro Vancouver, including Richmond, Surrey, Delta and Langley, with sustained winds at speeds nearing 70 kilometres an hour.
Warnings of winds at speeds up to 90 kilometres an hour have been issued for Greater Victoria and the Fraser Canyon, Sunshine Coast and Chilcotin regions.
The stormy weather has resulted in the cancellation of a number of BC Ferries sailings, including routes between Denman and Hornby islands, Campbell River and Quathiaski Cove, and Quadra and Cortes islands.
The BC River Forecast Centre issued high streamflow advisories across the southwest of the province on Thursday, warning of a series of atmospheric river systems expected to bring heavy rain into next week.
Zeballos is a picturesque community of about 130 residents on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.
It attracted international headlines in 2024, when a young killer whale became trapped for weeks in the nearby waters of Little Espinosa Inlet.
In addition to the evacuation orders that cover properties on Maquinna Avenue and Pandora Crescent, three properties have been paced on evacuation alert.
Pete Nelson-Smith, the village’s chief administrative officer, says the emergency declaration could remain in place for up to 14 days.