Come Hell and High Water

The catastrophic floods in BC these past weeks raised all sorts of questions about the causes, and how to prevent these disasters in the future. Combine the floods with the almost unprecedented wildfires of this past summer, are we looking at our future fate? In researching answers, PWPA members discovered a wealth of research and information, some from years ago that predicted exactly what happened in the weeks following November 14.

First up,

The Tyee – Expert Warnings of a Flood Like This Go Back 20 Years

What the B.C. government knew about the flood threat | Come hell… B.C. under water

Province told in 2010 that too few employed at River Forecast Centre

Read the Report about staffing at the Rover Forecast Centre

Next, interviews with visionary UBC hydrologist, Dr Younes Alila:

1) CBC Radio Kelowna with Chris Walker

2) CBC Radio Vancouver with Gloria Macarenko

Here’s an annotated round up of reports and research on flooding and logging:

1. Back in 2012 UBC professor Younes Alila also published an eye-opening research paper about the relationship to clear-cuts and flooding. Deforestation in Snowy Regions Causes More Floods
“New research suggests that cutting down swaths of forest in snowy regions at least doubles – and potentially quadruples – the number of large floods that occur along the rivers and streams passing through those forests.”

2. 2019: New Study Challenges a Well-established Wisdom on how Logging Affects Flood Risk. More research by Dr. Alila

3. Google Earth images of the growth of clearcutting and death of the forests surrounding Merritt and Princeton. Shocking.