In Canada, Flood, Fraser River, Vancouver, environment on June 11, 2007 by Robert Jago
I took a trip out to New Westminster this afternoon to check out the flooding. There wasn’t much just a bit of greenery on the Surrey side of the Fraser river. For those not familiar with the area, this picture on the left is downtown New Westminster. It’s a run down city of about 50,000 on the south eastern edge of Vancouver.
By run-down I mean really run down. Coming and going from New Westminster skytrain station, I saw 4 people being arrested, a group of skinheads and a group of punks.
That town is messed up.
The picture on the left is of a painting on a side street next to New Westminster station. This is a soup kitchen at the Salvation Army.
Notice the sandbags and razor wire in the tiny alley between the soup kitchen and the skytrain station. Those sandbags aren’t for flooding, they’re always there. It’s to keep people from boosting the Sally Ann’s tinned beans.
Getting to the flooding then. I went down to New Westminster
Quay. It looks like they’ve decided to abandon the boardwalk. The sand bags and plastic-wrapped concrete barriers are set at the edge of the boardwalk as you can see in this pic.
It’s hard to get through at some points but the water’s still about a meter down – but it was low tide. I don’t think it’s going to be that bad. From the skytrain on the way back I saw that a lot of the pathways in Sapperton were already flooded – but no one lives there so who cares? Back at Westminster Quay, the river boat casino was jumping, the public market was busy and a six-pack of Nastro Azzuro beer was under $15.00 at the private beer store.
I’ll take a peek back tomorrow after work – that’s when the waters will crest.
In Canada, Flood, Fraser River, Vancouver, environment on June 10, 2007 by Robert Jago
Sandbags on the Fraser River
Much to my surprise, and relief, it looks like we won’t get the worst of the flooding. My mother and brother live on the Katzie Indian Reserve in the north-eastern suburbs of Vancouver. They’ve got 2 big rivers and a half dozen small strems surrounding them.
The reserve is split into 3 parts, 2 on either side of the river, and one on Barnston Island. Their part is on the north shore of the Fraser River and is about a metre below sea level. Like much of Greater Vancouver, the reserve cowers behind 6 metre-tall sea walls or dikes.
The unlucly number for the reserve is 7. 7 metres above sea-level means it will be completely destroyed and the fishing fleet (much of which is in people’s yards for annual repairs) will likely go with it.
Right now it’s pushing 6 and has begun falling for the evening [the Fraser at that point is effected by tides] . It will crest on Monday when the northern flood waters hit the city. The expected level is 6.5 metres, meaning that much of Mission will be flooded together with most of the nearby agricultural land, and the reserve on Barnston island. But fortunately the main village will be fine.
My brother and his pregnant girlfriend have got a place to go to on higher ground and my mom is going to take over my apartment for a few days, while the basements there are pumped and dried out.
The Grand Chief, Phil Fontaine, will be visiting our home reserve – the Kwantlen – to blame the white man for something or other. This won’t save it from flooding but will defintely make the soon-to-be homeless refugees feel much more ‘pride’ or righteousness or whatever. So ’skookum’ that.
The GVRD has the current flood details here.
Now we get a breather before fire season starts. I wouldn’t jump to blaming Global Warming for this – it’s flooding this year because of a cold winter and a lot of extra snow.
