CBC camera captures devastation inside Grand Forks, B.C., homes

It's not every day that Andrs Dean finds himself meowing while wading through chest-high brown water.

But that's how theGrand Forks, B.C., search and rescue volunteer spent Sunday, on amission to rescue pets that were left behind when floodwaters forced their human ownersto evacuate.

Dean agreed to wear a CBCGoProon his rounds.

Theresult is remarkable footage that shows the utter devastation inside some Grand Forks homes.

See what searchers found when they went house-to-house looking for pets

Searchers conduct pet rescues in flooded Grand Forks, B.C.

6 years ago

Duration 5:13

Volunteers look for lost pets to stop human evacuees from heading back into flooded homes.

3 cats, 1tarantula

Although no animals were found while he wore the camera, Dean's meows helped him track down and rescue three cats. A pet tarantula was also brought to safety.

Jaylee and Kyle Piper were renting the home seen in the video.

Grand Forks search and rescue is making the special effort to rescue lost pets to prevent evacuees from returning to homes while they remains unsafe.

Contamination concerns grow

Health concerns are growing as floodwater mixes with sewage and all matter of debris and substances.

Aerial footage shows neighbourhoods that have been overwhelmedby water, with only the top halves of homes sticking out.

B.C. public safety minister Mike Farnworthcalled the situation in Grand Forks "worse than a fire" when he toured the area on Sunday.

"Afire comes through and it burns everything clean, and here you have sewage, you have debris, you have cars underwater, you have the fact that the rivers have cut new channels," he said.

Grand Forks aerial footage of flooding

6 years ago

Duration 0:40

Evacuation orders continue in the Boundary region of Grand Forks where officials are warning of another flood surge later this week due to rapidly melting snow.

Grand Forks Mayor Frank Konrad is pleading with the people who have remained in their homes, despite being under anevacuation order to leave.

"There's some residents still in their home surrounded by contaminated water," said Konrad.

"Please leave your homes andfollow the instructions you get. It'sfor your own safety."

A second surge of floodwater is expected in Grand Forks mid week as warm temperatures melt the deepsnowpackin theMonasheeMountains feeding the Granby and Kettle rivers.

With files from Chris Cordayand Briar Stewart