Officials warned the valley was not yet clear of danger after exceptional river flows cut routes and flooded low areas
NetNewsLedger National News Desk | Nov. 13, 2026
PEMBERTON, B.C. – National News Service — Evacuation orders, a valley-wide alert and road closures remained in place early Friday around Pemberton and Líl̓wat Nation, even as local officials reported that three swollen rivers had started to fall.
The Village of Pemberton said Thursday evening that all three rivers had exceeded forecast flows. Falling water was encouraging, but flooding was still appearing in low areas and emergency crews were keeping critical systems running.
The emergency has affected an important corridor between Whistler, Mount Currie and communities around Lillooet Lake. It has also put homes, businesses, roads and public infrastructure under different levels of warning and evacuation.
Líl̓wat order expanded
Líl̓wat Nation expanded its evacuation order at 2 a.m. Thursday to cover every area that had previously been under either an order or an alert on its two-page emergency map. The order applies from the Kwetsa7 area along the Lillooet River corridor toward Lillooet Lake.
The Nation said the Green River was flowing above an estimated 200-year flood level, the Birkenhead River was near record flow and the Lillooet River was expected to continue rising for several hours. Those descriptions came from the Nation’s emergency notice and should be updated before publication if newer hydrology is released.
The entire Village of Pemberton and expanded parts of Squamish-Lillooet Regional District Electoral Area C remained under evacuation alerts. Residents under alert were advised to shelter in place if they could do so safely because flooding could cut road access.
Roads and services
DriveBC listed sections of Highway 99 at Lillooet Lake Road and Pemberton Meadows Road as closed because of flooding Thursday evening. Anderson Lake Road was closed at Portage Creek Bridge because of a mudslide, with no detour at that location.
Pemberton reported pooling near Highway 99 and Vine Road. Public works crews were monitoring the wastewater treatment plant and pumphouses. Emergency Support Services and the Canadian Red Cross were supporting people who could not safely remain where they were.
Líl̓wat evacuees were directed to the Úll̓us Community Complex in Mount Currie. The Pemberton and District Community Centre was serving people who needed support in the village and surrounding area.
The official notices reviewed for this package did not provide a total number of evacuees, damaged buildings or injuries. Those figures should not be estimated.
Conditions can change faster than a published article. Residents and travellers should follow the latest instructions from Líl̓wat Nation, the Village of Pemberton, the regional district, EmergencyInfoBC and DriveBC rather than rely on an earlier report.
Source notes
- Líl̓wat Nation, expanded evacuation order, effective Nov. 12, 2026 at 2 a.m. PST. lilwat.ca
- Village of Pemberton, community flood update, posted Nov. 12, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. PST. pemberton.ca
- Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, shelter-in-place advisory, updated Nov. 12, 2026 at 5:03 a.m. PST. slrd.bc.ca
- EmergencyInfoBC, current emergency list, reviewed for active Pemberton and Líl̓wat orders and alerts before the research cutoff. emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca
- DriveBC, current delays and closures, last listed updates Nov. 12, 2026 between 7:07 and 7:43 p.m. UTC. drivebc.ca
