Landslides due to wet weather wash out Lower Mainland roads, disrupt trains, phone service

AGASSIZ (NEWS 1130) – Hundreds of people are still stuck on Sasquatch Mountain after a landslide took out parts of the only access road on Friday.

The visitors are trapped at the top of the resort, even unable ski despite power being restored, as the mountain remains closed.

Skiing is not an option because emergency crews, like everyone else, can’t get up there. While helicopter evacuation is an option, it’ll cost anyone wanting to hitch a ride down $150.

Had to take a helicopter off Sasquatch Mountain today after Friday’s landslide and washout stranded us up there. from r/vancouver

Flooding is being blamed for last week’s landslide, and has also impacted Amtrak services to the United States after two large mudslides in White Rock damaged tracks. Crews worked all weekend to restore service for Monday morning. Some trips are already sold out, likely due to pent up demand after two days of closures.

Bell phone service continues to be impacted after a landslide near Boston Bar took out a cable on Saturday, according to the company. There’s no ETA on repairs there and customers cannot contact non-emergency police lines. However, 9-1-1 calls aren’t being impacted by this outage.

Related article: Bell outage affects B.C. police departments, 911 operators

Officials are asking people not to call 9-1-1 for non-emergency issues but to borrow a cell phone from someone using a different provider or use a landline if they need to get in touch.

2/2 with making or receiving calls from landline numbers or customers of other wireless providers. Our crews continue to work with other carriers to restore full services as soon as possible.

— Bell Support (@Bell_Support) February 2, 2020

Throughout the Tri-Cities and Fraser Valley, many people continue to clean up after heavy rain caused localized flooding along roads and even in backyards.

Up to 140 millimetres of rain came down on some parts of the South Coast within a 24-hour time frame Friday and Saturday.

In Port Coquitlam, people who felt uneasy about rising water levels were being offered help through an emergency service centre while the city made shovels and sandbags available to those wanting to protect their homes.

Creeks and storm drains overflowing contributed to rising water levels, and those living along the Alouette River were urged to review their emergency preparedness protocols for flooding on Friday.

Also use extreme caution near any of the creeks and rivers in the park. Recent high water may have undercut banks or made them unstable. Keep pets on leash at all times and keep them away from moving water.

— Alouette Parks (@AlouetteParks) February 2, 2020

The pounding rain didn’t just affect those on this side of the border. In Washington state, a landslide along the I-5 shut down part of that major route over the weekend. Flooding is also being blamed for closures at the Sumas border crossing.

Landslide clean-up and guardrail repair will start Monday, Feb. 3 at 8 a.m on northbound I-5 at milepost 243. Anyone who commutes into #WhatcomCounty should prepare for a single lane closure through the day tomorrow through Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/U5LIY3qtxi

— WSDOT North (@wsdot_north) February 3, 2020

-With files from Lisa Steacy, Renee Bernard, and Monika Gul