Storm Wrecks Pacific North-West Leaving Major Damages in US and Canada

After a massive storm slammed the Pacific Northwest, demolishing roadways and knocking out power to tens of thousands of people in Canada and the United States, at least one person has died, and several more are believed to be dead.

Wrecking British Columbia

On Tuesday, emergency officials in British Columbia stated that at least ten automobiles were swept off a roadway following a landslide, cutting off Canada's largest port.

"We're hoping to locate those who are still living." However, due to the nature of the slide action, this lessens with time. The number of people stuck in mud and debris is decreasing, according to David MacKenzie, the Pemberton district search and rescue manager, who spoke to the Globe and Mail.

A woman's corpse was discovered at the landslide site during a search the night before, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

"The overall number of individuals and cars missing has not been established," said Sgt Janelle Shoihet of the BC RCMP. "However, investigators have received two missing people reports and suspect there may have been more occupied vehicles lost in the slide."

After adverse weather impeded operations, rescue parties working with the military intended to utilize heavy equipment and dog teams to resume their search for survivors. Two hundred seventy-five people, including 50 children, were flown from a piece of roadway blocked by landslides on Monday.

Although the heavy winds and rains brought on by an atmospheric river - a massive plume of moisture reaching over the Pacific - began to subside, considerable sections of southern British Columbia remained under flood watch or warning.

Flooding Washington

Tens of thousands of families and businesses in Washington state remain without electricity south of the border. After days of torrential rain created mudslides and floods and prompted the shutdown of the west coast's primary north-south route near the Canadian border, almost 50,000 Washington state electricity customers were still without power on Tuesday, authorities said.

On Tuesday, authorities reported one individual was remained missing near Bellingham after being observed clinging to a tree amid floodwaters.

State of Emergency

A woman stands near machinery at the scene where a mudslide buried two houses — Getty Images

Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, announced a severe weather state of emergency in 14 counties and stated the state disaster management division would coordinate the response with the help of the Washington national guard.

Earlier in the day, the largest port in Canada, Vancouver, declared that all rail access had been shut off due to floods and landslides farther east, a scenario that might affect grain, coal, and potash exports. The TransMountain pipeline was also shut down, which transports 300,000 barrels of oil each day.

The city of Vancouver is shut off from the rest of Canada by road, with all of its surrounding routes blocked due to damage, including a part of the Coquihalla highway that officials say might take months to rebuild.

Aerial imagery from the Fraser Valley, south of Vancouver, revealed expanses of property, including roadways, that were submerged.

"For those who are affected, this is an uncertain and frightening moment. They have no idea what's going on or what the future holds," Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun told reporters on Tuesday after portions of the city were ordered to evacuate.