Grocery store chains are urging calm as they work to find alternate ways to get their products to Prince George following the road closures to the south.
"At this time, all shipments in and out of the Lower Mainland are on hold based on the current road conditions. We are exploring all avenues to get product to our stores as quickly as possible," a Save On Foods spokesperson said in an email to the Citizen.
"We’re asking our customers to maintain normal shopping habits. This will help our team members keep the shelves full for everyone. We understand that these are uncertain times and many people just want to do what’s right for their families."
Similarly, a spokesperson for Loblaw, which owns Real Canadian Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mart, said the company is working to set up deliveries to the B.C. Interior from its Alberta distribution centres "to ensure we can continue to serve the communities we operate in."
Reports of panic buying in Prince George have been posted on social media.
Brought on by torrential rain over the weekend, a combination of flooding, rock slides and mud slides have closed Highway 1 through much of the Fraser Valley and as far north as Spences Bridge, according to DriveBC.As well, Highway 7 along the north bank of the Fraser River and Highway 99 north of Vancouver are both closed due to mud slide as of Tuesday afternoon.
In a teleconference with provincial media, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Flieming said officials are assessing the damage and maintenance contractors have gathered all the equipment they can.
"They are ready to clear roads, they are waiting for the signal as to when it is safe to do so and, on many of our highways, we recognize right now how important it is for many in British Columbia to reopen the connections from the Lower Mainland to the Interior to get supply chains moving again."
Fleming said the initial focus will be on reopening Highway 3, which runs along B.C.'s southern border between Hope and Osoyoos while the Coquihalla and Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon will pose bigger challenges. He also indicated priority will be given to commercial vehicles as the routes are reopened.
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, meanwhile, encouraged level heads.
"What I can tell you is that when it comes to supply chains, I think patience is the word of the day," Farnworth said. "While yes, there are challenges on our, particularly on numbers 1, 3, and 5, there is lots of supply.
"There is, for example in the North and the Interior the rail links from Kamloops to the rest of Canada are operating. The truck routes from east to west across northern B.C.from Alberta to bring supplies in are operating.
"Transportation and Highways, as you've heard, is working on how to get goods flowing from Vancouver up so there are challenges but there are also options and so we will encourage people to recognize this and to remember patience and there still is lots of supply."
