B.C. flooding leaves hundreds homeless

DUNCAN, British Columbia, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Flooding rivers in western Canada Friday sent hundreds of people scurrying from their homes, officials said.

Heavy rains overnight fueled the rising waters of the Cowichan and Koksilah rivers in British Columbia that left 300-400 homes evacuated in Cowichan Valley and the Duncan area of southeast Vancouver Island, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Officials declared states of emergency for some neighborhoods, organized crews to build sandbag walls to hold back the floodwaters and opened an emergency reception center at the Island Savings Center for people with no place else to go, the CBC said.