Every Thursday and CBC airs a program called "The Fifth Estate". It's investigative journalism and they do an excellent job! This week they featured the BC floods. They asked a lot of questions and I agreed with everything they said.
I had never heard the term "Atmospheric River" so I looked it up:
The term "atmospheric river" may conjure images of water flowing through the air, like in a fantasy novel. In a way, that's right — only this weather phenomenon is totally natural, and responsible for providing a vast portion of much-needed moisture to many regions on the planet.
Depending on their strength and duration, atmospheric rivers can also be dangerous. They have been a major cause of the catastrophic flooding and landslides across swaths of B.C. this week, triggering a state of emergency and leading to five confirmed deaths.
We were warned by Environment Canada on our weather app. If you had the app, you got the warning. I have it and I got it. Many people use other weather apps. Our Province has the ability to send out an emergency text message, but they didn't do it. They said it was a "regional" matter! I find it inexcusable they didn't send out a text saying the regions that were in danger of flooding. The provincial highways department didn't send out a warning that heavy rain may cause slides. When there is a snow storm, they send out warnings, why not for an atmospheric river?
Our provincial government failed us and the CBC called them on it. Good for the CBC! I hope the provincial government reviews the events that occured and make some huge changes in their response or lack of warnings.
This is a little late, but there is another atmospheric river enroute. Last night I saw this on Twitter:
Three atmospheric rivers are set to hit BC over the next week. Heavy rainfall over many days could worsen existing flooding, create new flooding, or heighten the risk of landslides. Always be prepared. Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. Stay informed and stay safe:
Not everyone follows the Province of BC on Twitter, but most homes have a cell phone. Send out the text Emergency Notifications!
