Gas stations across British Columbia are running out of fuel after the worst flooding in decades washed out roads and shutdown a key oil and fuel pipeline in Canada’s West Coast province.
More than 20 filling stations in the Chilliwack area have limited fuel options, with one of them listed as out of fuel, according to GasBuddy, which tracks retail gasoline stations in the U.S. and Canada.
The "once-in-a-century storm" prompted British Columbia to declare a state of emergency after a deluge of rain washed away and blocked sections of the province’s main highways and closed the tracks of Canada’s two major railways.
The Trans Mountain pipeline, which carries crude oil from Alberta to Vancouver area and is a key supplier of fuel to the city, has been shutdown for more than a week now.
Communities with limited road access may experience "variable interruptions" to fuel supplies, distributor Parkland Corp. (TSX:PKI) said in a written statement, adding that the company has contingencies to import fuel from the U.S. Pacific Northwest to alleviate current shortages.
A convoy of 15 fuel trucks arrived in and around Victoria on Vancouver Island over the weekend to refill gas stations, according to the provincial government.
The Government of British Columbia is taking other steps to maintain a supply of fuel, including working with Trans Mountain to get the pipeline back in service and "exploring options to have fuel transported from other jurisdictions like Alberta and United States," the province said in a news release.
