Saturday, January 08, 2022

 British Columbia

Vancouver seawall damaged as high tides, winds pummel B.C.'s South Coast

Jericho Park Pier damaged, Ambleside Park partially flooded

Sections of the Stanley Park seawall suffered damage as high tides and wind hit Metro Vancouver on Friday. (Submitted by Bernie Steininger)

Vancouver's Stanley Park seawall was damaged and closed to the public after high tides and extreme wind pummeled B.C.'s South Coast on Friday.

The seawall will remain closed between Sunset Beach and the Lions Gate Bridge as staff focus on clearing debris, the Vancouver Park Board said in a statement. It and the park were closed to the public earlier in the day because of the hazards.

The District of West Vancouver has also closed its seawalk and Ambleside Park, which was partially flooded because of the extreme wet conditions.

English Bay Beach in Vancouver's West End was also flooded, with waves over a metre high spotted crashing ashore. At Jericho Beach on Vancouver's West Side, the pier was partially destroyed on Thursday, leaving lumber piled haphazardly on the sand.

The town of Qualicum Beach on the east coast of Vancouver Island, also posted a statement calling its waterfront "hazardous," saying its seawall has been partially damaged and asking the public to avoid the area. 

A large wave hits the seawall in English Bay in Vancouver on Friday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Angela Danyluk, a senior sustainability specialist at the City of Vancouver, said the "king tide" occurred around 10 a.m. local time on Friday, along with a storm surge and strong westerly winds with gusts of up to 50 kilometres per hour.

Danyluk said king tides — a colloquial term for the highest tides — can happen throughout the year, but are most likely to occur in December, January and February because the earth, moon, and sun are perfectly aligned to reinforce their gravitational pull.

Waves crash into the Dundarave Pier in West Vancouver. (CBC)

"They're predictable — we know when they're coming. It's just that when they come at this time of year there's often a storm surge event and rain, and in our case this week, snow," she said. 

"Jericho Pier looked like more of a debris trap today than an actual pier that you can fish from." 

Throughout the day on Friday, B.C. Hydro scrambled to restore power to thousands of customers left in the dark thanks to the powerful winds. More than 20,000 customers woke up in the dark Friday morning, primarily on the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.

Waves crash into the seawall in English Bay on Friday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Jericho Pier badly damaged by strong winds and king tide (PHOTOS)
Amir Ali
Jan 7 2022, 

@TriciaBarker49/Twitter

The King Tide and high winds have found their latest victim, and this time it’s the Jericho Pier at Jericho Beach.

Pictures shared by Park Board Commissioner Tricia Barker on Twitter show the devastating impact that the weather has had on the pier.

Barker tells Daily Hive Urbanized that workers have roped off Jericho Beach as they assess the damage.You might also like:

The City of Vancouver calls the pier a popular destination for locals and visitors, and it is also a popular fishing and crabbing spot.


City staff roping off Jericho Beach. (@TriciaBarker49/Twitter)

Throughout the day on Friday, the king tide flooded beaches and forced the closure of Stanley Park and the seawall.

Meanwhile, strong winds have caused power outages in some parts of the province.

When it comes to the Jericho Pier, Park Board commissioners actually approved a renewal project to modernize it back in 2017. The wooden pier would be replaced with a new higher concrete structure to withstand high tides and storm surges.


Jericho Pier (@TriciaBarker49/Twitter)


Artistic rendering of the new entry plaza into Jericho Pier at Jericho Beach in Vancouver. (City of Vancouver)


The height of the proposed new concrete and steel structure versus the existing wooden structure. (City of Vancouver)

The city website suggests that they’re still in the “public engagement for conceptual design phase” of the project. There is also a fundraising campaign, as the not-for-profit Adaptive Sailing Association of BC is responsible for 50% of the estimated $16-million construction cost.

Perhaps the damage will create some movement on the renewal project.

Barker also sent Daily Hive Urbanized a picture of some damage at the foot of Trafalgar Street, where there’s an entrance to the now destroyed path.

Barker says staff are assessing but are also still out managing the damage.

Jericho Pier was also briefly closed after a King Tide in November 2021 submerged the structure, necessitating minor repairs.


Jericho Pier (@TriciaBarker49/Twitter)


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