Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the western part of the country hit by catastrophic flooding on Friday, and warned of further climate disruption as the region expects heavy rains in the coming days.
"
This will not be the last crisis Canadians will go through
," he warned at a joint press conference with the premier of the province of British Columbia, John Horgan.
Read alsoState of emergency and army deployed after floods in western Canada
“
Extreme weather events are going to become more frequent,
” he said.
"
We need to tackle the problems of climate change in the long term,
" including reducing CO2 emissions and making infrastructure more resilient, he added.
Torrential rains, which hit southwestern British Columbia in mid-November, caused landslides and flooding, killing at least four and one missing and destroying roads and infrastructure.
Thousands of people had to be evacuated and the army sent in as reinforcements.
In recent months, the province, located on the Pacific coast, has suffered repeated disasters with a record heat wave in late June that killed more than 500 people, followed by major fires.
“
We are paying for the consequences of climate change, not in the future, but now,
” said John Horgan.
"
Our farms have been flooded, our roads washed away, our communities are under water, and there will be more rain,
" he added.
The British Columbia government on Friday ordered sections of three highways to be closed in anticipation of two more heavy rain events expected in the coming days.
During the day, Justin Trudeau met with soldiers deployed in the region as well as residents affected by the flooding.
“
I have seen the extent of the flooding, the challenges faced by so many farms and affected communities
,” people “
fighting for their homes,
” he said.
This week, the province began barging fuel from the United States to alleviate the gasoline shortage.
Sales at the pump in Vancouver, which was cut off by storm damage, have been rationed.
According to the latest information, the Canadian Pacific railway company and the national company have resumed freight transport between Vancouver and Kamloops, 350 km to the northeast.
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