Vancouver Is Marooned by Flooding and Besieged Again by Climate Change

After a summer of deadly heat and uncontrolled wildfires, British Columbia was hit by record rainfalls that forced the evacuation of towns and destroyed highways and rail lines.

The intense rains and heavy winds that descended last week on British Columbia, the Canadian province known for its mountains, coastline and majestic forests, forced 17,000 people from their homes, emptying entire towns and inundating farms.

Vancouver, Canada’s third-largest city, lost its road and rail links to the rest of the country, cut off by washed-out bridges and landslides.

It was the second time in six months that the province had endured a major weather-related emergency, and experts say the two disasters are probably related to changes in the climate.