Close X
Thursday, October 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

Witness told rescuers missing B.C. man swept down the rain-swollen Coquitlam River

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 23 Oct, 2024 03:25 PM
  • Witness told rescuers missing B.C. man swept down the rain-swollen Coquitlam River

A witness reported seeing a man who's been missing since Sunday fall into the swollen Coquitlam River as he tried to rescue a dog, and was "immediately swept away," a local search and rescue manager said on Wednesday. 

Ian MacDonald said Coquitlam Search and Rescue received the report about 59-year-old Robert Belding on Tuesday.

Belding's daughter, Jessica Belding, said she remains hopeful her dad will be found alive several days after his disappearance.

She said her father and his brother went to a friend's home that borders the Coquitlam River to help with a flooded basement. Her dad took his brother's dog for a walk, but didn't return, Belding said.

Coquitlam was one of the hardest-hit areas as an atmospheric river weather system rolled over southern B.C. last weekend, dumping more than 250 millimetres of rain on the Metro Vancouver community.

Belding said she and other family members began searching on Sunday night, and while they found the wet dog, there's been no sign of her father. 

"We're pretty distraught," she said in an interview on her cellphone while she was out searching for her father on Wednesday.

"I think some of us are pretty numb because it just doesn't seem real. It's getting harder by the day."

She said her dad enjoys the outdoors and she's hopeful he wasn't too badly hurt, that he "managed to stay conscious," and is somewhere they haven't looked yet. 

Belding said there is overwhelming support from community members asking her how can they help, though people should stay off the water for safety reasons. 

"But if anyone is in the area and they want to help, just keeping an extra eye, taking that extra time to look while they're walking … just to see if they see any sign of someone somewhere, even in the bushes or on the side of the bank or anything."

MacDonald, a search manager with Coquitlam Search and Rescue, said the effort to find Robert Belding has included helicopter flyovers and a marine team that searched the area where the Coquitlam River flows into the Fraser River.

MacDonald said his team would be flying over the river again on Thursday or Friday. 

He said the water level in the river is often low in summertime, flowing lower than a person's knees, but it turned into a "raging" torrent during the weekend downpours.

B.C.'s River Forecast Centre had issued a flood warning for the Coquitlam River, although it was downgrading to a flood watch by Sunday and has since been rescinded.

MacDonald said the water was still about 1.5 metres deep on Tuesday. 

"It was very high. It was moving very fast, and it was full of debris," he said "There (were) trees and bits of wood and dead fish, all kinds of things in the water as well."

At least three deaths have been linked to the torrential rain over the weekend.

A woman was killed Saturday when her home was swept away in a mudslide on the outskirts of Coquitlam, and two others died on the west coast of Vancouver Island when a road washed out and an overflowing river submerged their vehicles.

Jonathan Helmus, director of utilities with the City of Coquitlam, said the rain was very intense, greater than a one-in-200-year event. 

"We were the hardest hit in the Lower Mainland and it's the most significant storm we've ever seen," Helmus said in an interview on Wednesday.

The city had prepared by inspecting culverts and other critical infrastructure, sweeping roads and ensuring around-the-clock coverage by crews, he said, in addition to Coquitlam's longer-term planning for watershed management and climate change.

By comparison, Helmus said the atmospheric river that deluged southwestern B.C. in November 2021 brought 100 millimetres of rainfall to Coquitlam in 24 hours.

The District of North Vancouver said it is triaging resources after the community was "drenched" with nearly 350 millimetres of rain over the weekend. 

A statement on the district's website said teams were focusing on immediate "life safety" issues stemming from the storm, as well as emergency repairs, debris removal and assessing the full extent of the damage.

"North Vancouver is well accustomed to heavy rain and stormy weather. However, no weather event in recent years has brought this much rainfall here," it said.

The district declared a local state of emergency on Sunday and ordered six homes evacuated in the Deep Cove neighbourhood, when an inspection found potential failure of private infrastructure that could create a public safety risk. 

Images shared on social media on Saturday showed brown torrents of water pouring down on waterfront homes on Panorama Drive in Deep Cove.

MORE National ARTICLES

Foreign affairs minister urges Canadians to leave Florida ahead of devastating storm

Foreign affairs minister urges Canadians to leave Florida ahead of devastating storm
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canadians in Florida should leave and people planning to travel there should postpone as the state braces for the impact of Hurricane Milton. The storm was downgraded this morning to a Category 4 but is expected to bring deadly storm surge, rain and winds.

Foreign affairs minister urges Canadians to leave Florida ahead of devastating storm

Canada adds $15M to aid for Lebanon and will match $6M in donations

Canada adds $15M to aid for Lebanon and will match $6M in donations
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen says the new money will help Canadian and international aid groups provide food, water, emergency health care and other assistance in Lebanon, though the exact allocations are yet to be determined.

Canada adds $15M to aid for Lebanon and will match $6M in donations

Spike in fines coming prior to Halloween for City of Surrey

Spike in fines coming prior to Halloween for City of Surrey
The City of Surrey is increasing its fines ahead of Halloween for those who are caught selling or using fireworks without a permit. It says the minimum penalty for a violation has jumped from 100 to 400 dollars and the maximum has increased from five thousand to 50-thousand dollars. 

Spike in fines coming prior to Halloween for City of Surrey

Targeted shooting in Burnaby

Targeted shooting in Burnaby
Police in Burnaby say they're investigating a shooting that injured a man. Mounties say it happened last night when they were called to a report of a possible shooting in north Burnaby.

Targeted shooting in Burnaby

Motorcyclist dies in crash

Motorcyclist dies in crash
A motorcycle rider is dead after a crash in West Vancouver. Police say it happened on a winding stretch of Marine Drive last night, while three motorcyclists were riding together.

Motorcyclist dies in crash

'Wired' after election debate, NDP's Eby says he'll focus on relaying improvements

'Wired' after election debate, NDP's Eby says he'll focus on relaying improvements
British Columbia New Democrat Leader David Eby says he was "wired" and had trouble falling asleep after the televised election debate, adding that he would see his performance as successful if those watching at home felt he was focused on their priorities. But Eby says he didn't think he spoke enough about all the ways his "team is committed to supporting British Columbians with the cost of daily life."

'Wired' after election debate, NDP's Eby says he'll focus on relaying improvements