A witness reported seeing a man whoB次元官网网址檚 been missing since Sunday fall into the swollen Coquitlam River as he tried to rescue a dog, and was B次元官网网址渋mmediately swept away,B次元官网网址� 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.
BeldingB次元官网网址檚 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 friendB次元官网网址檚 home that borders the Coquitlam River to help with a flooded basement. Her dad took his brotherB次元官网网址檚 dog for a walk, but didnB次元官网网址檛 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, thereB次元官网网址檚 been no sign of her father.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e pretty distraught,B次元官网网址� she said in an interview on her cellphone while she was out searching for her father on Wednesday.
B次元官网网址淚 think some of us are pretty numb because it just doesnB次元官网网址檛 seem real. ItB次元官网网址檚 getting harder by the day.B次元官网网址�
She said her dad enjoys the outdoors and sheB次元官网网址檚 hopeful he wasnB次元官网网址檛 too badly hurt, that he B次元官网网址渕anaged to stay conscious,B次元官网网址� and is somewhere they havenB次元官网网址檛 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.
B次元官网网址淏ut if anyone is in the area and they want to help, just keeping an extra eye, taking that extra time to look while theyB次元官网网址檙e walking B次元官网网址� just to see if they see any sign of someone somewhere, even in the bushes or on the side of the bank or anything.B次元官网网址�
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 personB次元官网网址檚 knees, but it turned into a B次元官网网址渞agingB次元官网网址� torrent during the weekend downpours.
B.C.B次元官网网址檚 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.
B次元官网网址淚t was very high. It was moving very fast, and it was full of debris,B次元官网网址� he said B次元官网网址淭here (were) trees and bits of wood and dead fish, all kinds of things in the water as well.B次元官网网址�
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.
B次元官网网址淲e were the hardest hit in the Lower Mainland and itB次元官网网址檚 the most significant storm weB次元官网网址檝e ever seen,B次元官网网址� 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 CoquitlamB次元官网网址檚 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 B次元官网网址渄renchedB次元官网网址� with nearly 350 millimetres of rain over the weekend.
A statement on the districtB次元官网网址檚 website said teams were focusing on immediate B次元官网网址渓ife safetyB次元官网网址� issues stemming from the storm, as well as emergency repairs, debris removal and assessing the full extent of the damage.
B次元官网网址淣orth Vancouver is well accustomed to heavy rain and stormy weather. However, no weather event in recent years has brought this much rainfall here,B次元官网网址� 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.
