B.C. mudslide sweeps away vehicle, driver rescued
Digital Reporter
Monday, January 29, 2018, 10:36 PM - A driver was rescued from a mudslide in eastern Vancouver island on Monday, after her vehicle was swept off a flooded road and plunged deep into an embankment.
Southern British Columbia was pelted with heavy rains this weekend, and rainfall warnings and a flood watch remained in effect Monday in eastern Vancouver Island, including the city of Nanaimo and surrounding areas.
Nick Rivers, president of Arrowswmith Search and Rescue, was responding to a flood on Martindale Road in Parksville when he was called to a trapped driver off of Rumming Road in Lantzville, just north of Nanaimo.
He arrived on scene around midnight, minutes after the fire department, where the vehicle had fallen 75 feet down the side of the embankment and flipped upside down.
Water was gushing down “like a water fall” unto the vehicle, he said, bringing with it giant chunks of road and debris.
“When you see a vehicle and you’ve got debris coming down hitting it, it doesn’t get any worse than that. There’s not really another complication you could add to the situation,” he said.
Rivers attached himself to a system of ropes and descended toward the vehicle, and was able to crawl up the center of the ravine that had been formed by rushing water. He was able to help the woman out of the back-passenger side window, and the two were pulled to safety.
The driver was sent to B.C. hospital where she was released with bruising and soreness.
After the rescue, Rivers continued returned to Parksville where he assisted with evacuations until around 7 a.m. Arrowsmith search and rescue helped evacuate at least 20 people and 8 pets from a flooded RV park.
“Everyone’s having a much better day today,” he said. “That’s the way we like to leave things.”
A Level 2 Emergency Operation Centre was activated at the Regional District of Nanaimo due to flooding in Parksville and Whiskey Creek at 3 a.m. Monday.
