About 150 people live on the island, located on the Fraser River, between Surrey and Pitt Meadows. Metro Vancouver, which issued an evacuation warning on Thursday, says residents should be ready to leave as soon as possible. A local state of emergency has been declared, restricting access to the island, and Barnston Island Regional Park is closed. Metro Vancouver, which is responsible for emergency management for the area, says it has set up an on-site command post to coordinate any possible evacuations. Officials are also monitoring river levels, patrolling embankments and developing sandbags. Flood control information was shared with Katzie First Nation, which has a reserve on the small island. Access to Barnston Island is restricted to residents, businesses and people with family ties following the Flood Warning on Thursday, June 30, 2022. (Ben Nelms / CBC) The BC River Forecast Center, Environment Canada and BC Emergency Management have warned that melting snow and rain could lead to increased river flow in the coming days. Metro Vancouver issued the following recommendations for the islanders:
Gather basic items, medicines, eyeglasses, valuable documents, immediate care and pets and get ready to leave quickly. Get to know the location of all the members of the household and determine a place to meet if they are separated during a possible evacuation. Be prepared to remove children, the elderly, and the disabled. Immediately start relocating pets and animals to a safe area. Arrange your stay. If time permits, take steps to prepare for material damage.
