CLIMATE CRISIS

Troops Sent in as ‘One-in-100-Year’ Flood Causes Chaos in British Columbia

One person is dead and thousands have been displaced by extraordinary flooding in British Columbia.

Floods and landslides described as a “one-in-100-year-event” have ravaged British Columbia, leaving at least one woman dead, three missing, and thousands displaced. Lana Popham, Canada’s agriculture minister, estimates “thousands of animals” have died, too. The damage and danger are so pressing that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau granted the province’s request for federal aid, including military assistance, after Premier John Horgan declared a state of emergency and said the death toll is expected to rise. “While Environment Canada called this a one-in-100-year event, we know the increased likelihood of intense storms is due to the climate crisis,” said Hogan, emphasizing climate change’s direct role in the emergency. The region also suffered a severe heatwave over summer that scientists had predicted would be 150 times more likely to happen due to man-made climate change.