Canada storm: air force arrives to help residents in British Columbia – live

There are concerns that the catastrophic flooding in British Columbia could see Canadians in other parts of the country face higher prices and shortages in the coming weeks.

The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port but has been cut off due to highway closures.

Retail analyst Bruce Winder told the Canadian Press that the sector will feel the impact of the flood at the peak of the busiest holiday season.

“It’s brutal,” Winder said. “Supply chains for retail have been under siege for some time now due to the pandemic. And this is going to add to the shortage at the worst possible time.”

I was just contacted by a man who lives in the small town of Okanagan Falls, in the interior of British Columbia and a five-hour drive east of Vancouver.

He said he had been “lucky” to avoid the worst of the flood. However, he adds: “The big problem is panic buying has emptied the shelves of the local supermarkets.”

The local government has asked people not to “hoard supplies”.

Fuel stations in British Columbia are also facing shortages and long lines.

Authorities in British Columbia have temporarily reopened a highway out of the district of Hope, where hundreds of people have been stranded.

There is limited capacity and the route is only open to passenger vehicles – allowing those who were stuck there to move on.

“Though there is no confirmed closing time, we encourage anyone wanting to leave to do so now,” the local government said.

Hope is located about 150km east of Vancouver.

On Wednesday, a late-night evacuation train carrying about 200 people stranded for days was also able to leave Hope.

Canadian forces have started arriving in British Columbia to help stranded residents and search areas hit by landslides and heavy flooding.

During the past few days, a powerful storm has dumped a month’s worth of rain across a swath of the Pacific north-west.

Canadian military personnel will assist with evacuation efforts in British Columbia. They will also assess the damage in an area that has largely been cut off.

Hello Readers. My name is Oliver Holmes and I’m starting a new live blog today, bringing you all the latest on the floods and landslides. If you see anything worth covering, please email me at: oliver.holmes@theguardian.com