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Sewage flooding forces Port Alberni resident from her home

Chloe Shew-Collicott describes a sudden overnight evacuation as heavy rain brings flood warnings to parts of British Columbia.

Channel: CBC News ·

CanadaStory of November 13, 2026Trari Newsroom

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This B.C. resident lost her home due to flooding as storms batter the province | Hanomansing Live

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0:37Shew-Collicott says sewage water flooded her home overnight, forcing evacuation and ruining most belongings.
0:54Her cellphone footage shows her, her brother and their dog wading through dirty indoor floodwater.
2:04Street footage shows flooding in Port Alberni, followed by her account of temporary accommodation with a friend.
2:45She says rain continues and neighboring units were severely affected, with debris left around the area.
3:40Her immediate priorities are basic necessities and securing new housing.

Chloe Shew-Collicott says the water inside her Port Alberni home went from manageable to an emergency in moments, forcing her household to leave and ruining most of their belongings.

"For one second it was two inches of water, and next thing you know it was two feet," she tells Ian Hanomansing in an interview broadcast by Canada's CBC News, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's news service.

Shew-Collicott says nearly two feet of sewage water entered her home around half past midnight on November 12. Her cellphone footage shows her, her brother and their dog wading through dirty water inside the property.

Port Alberni is on Vancouver Island, off Canada's Pacific coast. The interview comes as heavy rain pounds British Columbia, with the report describing flood warnings in parts of the province's South Coast, including the Pemberton Valley and Lillooet River area on the mainland.

Separate footage credited to Dustin Van Adrichem shows submerged Port Alberni streets and emergency vehicles moving through floodwater. Shew-Collicott says neighboring units were also severely affected, with debris left around the area and rain continuing during the day.

For her family, the immediate consequence is being separated while they find somewhere to live. She is staying with a friend, while her mother is staying with relatives.

By the interview, Shew-Collicott says the sewers had drained, but conditions remained wet. Her next steps are securing basic necessities and finding new housing after the sudden loss of her home.