Vancouver Island rescuers helped people, sheep, dogs and cat after heavy rains

COURTENAY — Heavy rains on Vancouver Island on Friday kept a search and rescue team busy as they helped nearly a dozen people out of floodwaters, as well as dogs, a cat and four sheep.

Comox Valley Search and Rescue posted a detailed account of the team’s efforts on social media Saturday, a day after flood warnings were issued for several rivers on Vancouver Island.

The post said more than 30 rescue team members came together to respond, helping “11 people, 5 dogs, 1 cat, and 4 sheep get safely out of flooded areas.”

“Yes, sheep. Volunteers brought four of them through waist-high floodwaters to safety,” the post said.

Search manager Paul Berry said it’s the first time rescuers had to help sheep out of floodwaters.

“We’ve had a couple horses and certainly lots of dog rescues, but first time for sheep,” Berry said in the post.

The Comox Valley Regional District had declared a state of local emergency, and search and rescue volunteers were dispatched after an evacuation order was issued for a campground and for several homes on Headquarters Road in Courtenay, B.C.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre ended several flood warnings and flood watches on Vancouver Island and elsewhere on Saturday as rainfall eased, but flooding in the Comox Valley has prompted the city of Courtenay to close several parks.

The river forecast centre downgraded a flood warning for the Somass River to a high streamflow advisory, while ending warnings and advisories for the Courtenay, Tsolum River, Dove Creek and Englishman rivers.

The centre said warnings and advisories issued for Haida Gwaii and the province’s south coast have also ended.

The Comox Valley Regional Emergency Operations Centre said a number of parks and trails in Courtenay were closed due to flooding including Lewis Park, Simms Park Inner Loop, Puntledge Park and McPhee Meadows.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2026.