UPDATED
States of emergency declared for two BC communities in Canada’s energy heartland
“It’s causing a lot of problems for a lot of people. This time everything washed out” —Dawson Creek resident
“This is a big-time event, how it’s affected the highways and streets and roads,” Mayor Dale Bumstead told CBC News. “Our hospitals and fire halls are separated, we’ve only got one link and some of the roads and streets and transit infrastructure have been severely damaged.”
Many roads and rail lines in the region have been washed out or damaged by flooding. (B.C. Ministry of Transportation)
The Ministry of Transportation say hundreds of rural properties have been “severely affected” by flooding.
A state of emergency has been declared in Dawson Creek, B.C. where flooding has left behind significant damage to city infrastructure, roads and homes.
Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Caldwell said the 89.8 mm of rain that fell in Dawson Creek during the daytime June 15 is an all-time high according to records going back 90 years.
The town of Chetwynd, about 100km west of Dawson Creek, declared a state of emergency on Wednesday.
In May, multiple communities north of Fort St. John were evacuated as ferocious wildfires swept northeast British Columbia.
Santa Barbara County declares a state of emergency as Sherpa fire spreads
Santa Barbara County official have declared a state of emergency as Sherpa fire grew to about 7,5200 acres by early Saturday.
More than 1,200 personnel were responding to the fire amid continued threat to structures, agricultural crops, state parks, and critical infrastructure, officials said.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for El Capitan, Refugio, Venadito and Las Flores canyons north of Santa Barbara. Several neighboring communities have received evacuation warnings.
However, many locals have voluntarily evacuated because of the poor air quality across the entire county.
Avocado, citrus and olives groves have already been consumed by the fire, but it’s too early to quantify the extent of the damage, officials reported.
Temperatures are expected to get hotter [probably exceeding 100F] and the winds stronger this weekend, forecasters have warned.
New Mexico
Meanwhile, the so-called Dog Head Fire in New Mexico, has consumed about 18,000 acres since Wednesday.
The destructive fire burning southeast of Albuquerque, has destroyed dozens of homes and structures, forcing mass evacuations, and prompting Gov. Martinez to declare a state of emergency earlier this week.
Alabama declares state of emergency following widespread power outages
Gov. Bentley has declared a state of emergency for Alabama following widespread power outages caused by Friday’s severe weather.
The Executive Order will allow crews from other states to assist in the restoration of power to about 50,000 customers left in the dark as powerful storms swept through the state.
The majority of the outages occurred in Mobile, where 13,500 customers were without power.
Other damage reports include broken poles, downed cables and uprooted trees statewide.
“This is a big-time event, how it’s affected the highways and streets and roads,” said Bumstead. “Our hospitals and fire halls are separated, we’ve only got one link and some of the roads and streets and transit infrastructure have been severely damaged.”
Fire Earth 