Eight people airlifted from flash flood on northern Vancouver Island

Police say eight people were rescued by air from a flash flood on Vancouver Island as a fall storm lashed coastal British Columbia with heavy wind and rain.

RCMP say the Port Hardy detachment received an SOS signal from an iPhone shortly before 7:20 p.m. on Thursday, with a man reporting he and another person had become trapped after floodwaters disabled their vehicle.

It happened as the pair were returning from San Josef Bay, a remote area on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

The Mounties say a second group in an RV stopped to help, but they also became trapped when rising floodwaters and debris blocked the road in both directions.

Police say Campbell River Search and Rescue Crews were called in and co-ordinated with the Victoria-based Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for air support from a Canadian Forces transport and rescue squadron out of Comox.

RCMP say all eight people were rescued with no serious injuries reported.

The incident occurred on Holberg Road, which is north of Winter Harbour, where BC Hydro reported that a landslide had knocked out power lines.

A photo of the scene shared by the utility showed the road into the harbour blocked by fallen trees, mud and other debris.

Western Forest Products later said on X that it was assessing the landslide and both ends of Holberg Road had been barricaded to protect the safety of its workers and the public.

The forest company said it was in the process of mobilizing equipment to remove debris and restore access, though it didn’t yet have a timeline for reopening.

Environment Canada had warned of the possibility of localized flooding as a storm system moved across B.C.’s coast.

Wind and rainfall warnings that were in place early Friday were later lifted.

Still, several thousand BC Hydro customers remained without power in the Central Interior and on parts of the south coast.

B.C.’s River Forecast Centre has meanwhile downgraded a flood warning for rivers in the Terrace and Kitimat areas of the north coast, replacing it with a high streamflow advisory that spans the entire coast, including Vancouver Island.

The only remaining flood watch covers the Kingcome River, located in a remote area of the central coast, with forecaster saying the heaviest rains in coastal areas were expected to ease by day’s end.

The high winds and torrential rains threw Friday morning ferry sailings into disarray, with cancellations on multiple routes, including at least 10 sailings between Metro Vancouver’s Tsawwassen terminal and Vancouver Island.

Later sailings were scheduled to depart on time.

Environment Canada says both Terrace and Kitimat received the most rain at 95 millimetres each as the storm passed over the north coast, while wind gusts reached 87 km/h in Prince George and 93 km/h in Bella Bella. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2025.