Hell or High Water

On the heels of the summer heat dome, which sparked catastrophic wildfires across southern B.C., November's atmospheric river brings record-breaking rainfall. In the province's desert-like interior, firefighter Dylan Bullock is still recovering from severe burns that he suffered in the wildfires. When parched mountains can't absorb the rainfall, it pours into the rivers and into the city of Merritt. As floodwater submerges the nearby wastewater treatment plant, 7000 residents must evacuate – just as collapsing highways and bridges cut off escape routes. In small, isolated communities the raging Nicola River devours land and houses, stranding locals and triggering dramatic rescues. In the weeks that follow the storm, crews work tirelessly to fix the water plant and improvise repairs to let traffic and supplies start flowing, and engineers analyze what other countries are doing to mitigate flood damage and build more resilient infrastructure.