# Vancouver cut off from rest of Canada by road **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 16, 2021, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433 "2021-11-16T05:24:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/1 "2021-11-16T05:24:52Z")
Mudslide has blocked Highway 99 due to incessant rain. Vancouver (and lower mainland) is inaccessible to Canada by road. > **[Vancouver is now completely cut off from the rest of Canada by road](https://www.kamloopsbcnow.com/watercooler/news/news/Provincial/Vancouver_is_now_completely_cut_off_to_the_rest_of_Canada_by_road/)** > > There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada. > > > > The Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley are now completely cut off fr. > **[Access between Lower Mainland and rest of B.C. compromised as mudslide closes...](https://globalnews.ca/news/8375256/lower-mainland-cut-off-highway-99-closure/)** > > BC Highway 99 has been added to the list of closed roads as an atmospheric river drenches southern B.C., leading to mudslides, landslides and widespread flooding. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/2 "2021-11-16T05:37:07Z")
Hundreds are trapped between mudslides on another nearby highway: > **[Rescuers lift hundreds of motorists trapped on B.C. highway to safety | CBC News](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-landslide-weather-road-debris-nov15-1.6249085)** > > Rescuers, using military helicopters, lifted hundreds of people trapped overnight in their cars by two mudslides that blocked a southern B.C. highway Sunday night after a pounding rainstorm. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/3 "2021-11-16T05:52:42Z")
You know things are bad when it’s too dangerous for rescuers to show up. How much rain did this region recently get? ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/4 "2021-11-16T06:10:12Z")
Roughly 6-8 inches in the past 48 hours, depending on area. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/5 "2021-11-16T06:11:06Z")
Wow. I hope they have enough clean water and food for a while… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/6 "2021-11-16T06:17:32Z")
> **[B.C. battles floods, mass evacuations as storm wreaks havoc](https://www.coastreporter.net/highlights/bc-battles-floods-mass-evacuations-as-storm-wreaks-havoc-4759129?utm_source=newsshowcase&utm_medium=gnews&utm_campaign=CDAQvpLNpfD075mKARjP6YLw4ev3vaYBKioIACIQ_RR53JUhZTXLRXLwAEMddyoUCAoiEP0UedyVIWU1y0Vy8ABDHXc&utm_content=rundown)** > > Flooding has left dozens of communities reeling across the province after massive dumps of rain swamped neighbourhoods, including the entire City of Merritt > [@](#): > > **September and October rainfall had already surpassed normal levels by 200 per cent.** Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan said **rain over the past 48 hours has exceeded entire monthly rainfall averages** in several locations across the province, “which is saying a lot,” he added, “considering November is our wettest month.” > > On Sunday, the City of Abbotsford broke its all-time rainfall record after **over 100 millimetres of rain fell in a single day.** By 10 a.m. Monday, much of the region lay under a blanket of water, triggering an [evacuation order](https://www.abbotsford.ca/alerts/evacuation-order-and-alerts-issued-localized-areas?utm_source=coast%20reporter&utm_campaign=coast%20reporter%3A%20outbound&utm_medium=referral) for the Straiton area and the closure of over two dozen roads. Another five neighbourhoods remain on evacuation alert due to flooding and mudslides. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/7 "2021-11-16T12:39:45Z")
My daughter who lives in Vancouver has kept me updated on this and has been forwarding me some dramatic pics. It’s quite frightening. We just returned from a 9 day visit there last month. Hope, BC is completely cut off, all roads in and out are closed now. All this after their horrible heat wave this past summer. . ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/8 "2021-11-16T12:44:13Z")
South of the border, I-5 has also been blocked by landslides, so the international land route is cut off as well. > **[I-5 near Bellingham fully reopens more than 24 hours after landslide forced...](https://www.king5.com/article/weather/flooding-landslides-force-overnight-closure-of-i-5-bellingham/281-c28e2882-2fbe-4c8f-b4be-2fe7c87e83a6)** > > All lanes of the freeway shut down just after 5 p.m. on Monday due to standing water and risk of landslide. I-5 fully reopened Tuesday evening. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/9 "2021-11-16T13:22:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Wow. I hope they have enough clean water and did for a while… Not in Merritt, which has been evacuated: > [@](#): > > By 10 a.m. Monday, the City of Merritt issued an evacuation order for over 7,000 residents after floodwaters inundated two bridges along the Coldwater River and knocked out the city’s wastewater treatment plant indefinitely. > > … > > “Continued habitation of the community without sanitary services presents risk of mass sewage backup and personal health risk,” wrote the city in a bulletin. > > … > > As of 4 p.m., no civilians will be allowed into the City of Merritt. The town’s water supply has been completely contaminated to the point where even boiling it won’t make it safe, warned officials. > **[B.C. battles floods, mass evacuations as storm wreaks havoc](https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/video/bc-battles-floods-mass-evacuations-as-storm-wreaks-havoc-4759129)** > > Flooding has left dozens of communities reeling across the province after massive dumps of rain swamped neighbourhoods, including the entire City of Merritt ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/10 "2021-11-16T13:26:55Z")
> [@Dancer\_Flight](#): > > Roughly 6-8 inches in the past 48 hours, depending on area. I was reading that we are presently in a “La Nina” weather pattern, and this very wet weather pattern is supposed to continue for several months. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/11 "2021-11-16T14:10:45Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Wow. I hope they have enough clean water and did for a while… > > Not in Merritt, which has been evacuated: Yikes! Also, i fixed my typo, Northern\_Piper didn’t misquote me. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/12 "2021-11-16T14:20:54Z")
Are these rains in any of the areas affected by fires earlier in the year? ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/13 "2021-11-16T16:25:53Z")
I have family that lives near B’ham and there are lots of mudslides and roads closed due to flooding. All that area to the north around Ferndale often floods, but it’s pretty bad right now. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/14 "2021-11-16T16:29:07Z")
There’s only one road in and out of Vancouver?! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/15 "2021-11-16T16:34:45Z")
Mountains. Vancouver itself is on the Fraser Delta, but to get there by road, options are limited. ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/16 "2021-11-16T16:35:43Z")
There are a couple of highways out of Vancouver. The northwestern route, Highway 99 is also closed north of Pemberton. The main freeway eastbound is closed between Abbotsford and Chilliwack, and that gets you to one of the main highway junctions around Hope. The major highways of that junction are all closed as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/17 "2021-11-16T16:36:38Z")
Yes. Many of the areas affected by flooding and mudslides were sites of forest fires recently, meaning there are no tree and grass roots to hold the earth and water in place.Also, much of BC is settled in valleys and along rivers, so excess rainfall even in areas not torched means risk for flooding when rainfall exceeds the “normal” limits. This may be an answer to a question you didn’t ask, upon second reading ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/18 "2021-11-16T16:39:12Z")
Nope, that was pretty much what I was wondering about. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/19 "2021-11-16T18:08:43Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > There’s only one road in and out of Vancouver?! Look at the Vancouver/southern BC region on Google Maps with the Terrain function turned on, it’ll show you how limited the road access is. https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=49.2468135,-122.071779&z=8&output=embed&dg=ntvb ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2021, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433/20 "2021-11-16T18:25:19Z")
Now I know why my friend’s bus got stopped in a huge traffic jam this morning. On top of discovering that her repaired condo still leaked rainwater into her guest bedroom after an expensive fix. That’s an argument against moving there (along with cost of living). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vancouver-cut-off-from-rest-of-canada-by-road/954433.md?page=2)