Vancouver Island was hit hard by freezing temperatures brought on by an arctic outflow this weekend that caused several buildings and homes to have their pipes burst, causing floods.
An arctic outflow is a massive cold front that brings with it freezing winds which plummet the temperature to unprecedented lows.
In some cases this can be beautiful and even fun.
Over the weekend, several small bodies of water froze over, allowing Vancouver Islanders the opportunity to bring out their skates and play shinny like the true Canadians they are.
The fountain at the BC legislature also froze over in a beautiful array of icicles, providing a fun photo opportunity for locals and tourists alike.
However, these conditions also brought on mass damages to properties and personal effects of those whose properties were impacted.
On Friday night, the Prestige Oceanfront Resort in Sooke had to evacuate the premises at around 3:30 a.m. as its occupants were awoken by a blaring fire alarm.
On the way out, they were told that a pipe had burst, but the damages were not yet evident.
Related:
- Greater Victoria could see heavy snow, freezing rain starting Tuesday
- Here’s a list of live webcams showing current road conditions on Vancouver Island
Around 40 minutes later, after the alarm had been turned off and firefighters had control of the situation, people began coming back into the hotel to see two inches of water covering the entirety of the lobby’s floor and water pouring from the drywall ceiling.
Some occupants had to change rooms in the middle of the night, but the water damage only impacted a small number of rooms and the initial pipe burst occurred in an unoccupied room.
The next morning, a restoration company had taken over the building with fans strewn about the lobby which was bone dry once again.
One couple who were in from Seattle for the weekend told Victoria Buzz that they had booked a nearby Airbnb, but when they arrived at the property, they were turned away due to a pipe burst there.
The owners of the Airbnb directed them to the Prestige, only to have another pipe burst within 12 hours of them checking in.
Video shows flooding at luxury Prestige Oceanfront Resort in Sooke on Friday night.
Guests had to evacuate the building and endure subzero temperatures until it was given the all clear to return. More info in link below.
Video courtesy of Shae B pic.twitter.com/vwd20yfJEd
— Victoria Buzz (@victoriabuzzes) January 15, 2024
In Vic West, one of the Crescent’s buildings was evacuated at around 5 a.m. due to a sprinkler pipe bursting.
A warming centre in Nanaimo had to be cleared out due to a sprinkler pipe bursting, causing 25 vulnerable people to be evacuated from the building.
They were able to bus these individuals to another shelter for the night.
Nanaimo’s Crescent View Drive apartments were also evacuated due to sprinkler pipes bursting.
Although January is a slow month for many industries, this year, the restoration business is booming as workers are being dispatched to help dry out impacted buildings and properties having pipes burst this weekend.
These buildings are just the tip of the iceberg as many other residences and businesses saw similar flooding, pipes bursting or freezing due to the arctic outflow conditions.
