Robert Dennis, chief councillor of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations, said he and about seven families were in Port Alberni Saturday morning and couldn’t get home because of the flooding.
“This was an event by Mother Nature and she took whatever she could,” he said Monday.
Bamfield Road, the only vehicle access between Port Alberni and Huu-ay-aht communities in Bamfield, has been washed out in about five places and one bridge was completely taken out due to rain on Friday night and Saturday morning, said Dennis.
The Huu-ay-aht First Nations have long been seeking upgrades to the privately owned gravel road.
The 78-kilometre Bamfield Main includes 60 kilometres of road owned by Western Forest Products and 18 owned by Mosaic Forest Management, the Huu-ay-aht First Nations and the Ministry of Transportation, Dennis said.
The washouts were in the Western Forest Products section, said Dennis. The road was to be temporarily repaired by noon Monday, he said.
Better drainage is part of the Huu-ay-aht’s plan for a major upgrade. They await approval from the province. — Times Colonist
