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Letter: Port Coquitlam flooding was no 'natural disaster'

City of Port Coquitlam should have foreseen possibility that its culvert beneath Coast Meridian Road was too small, argues the letter writer
Tri-City News
A backhoe from Port Coquitlam public works tries to dislodge debris from a flooded culvert as floodi
A backhoe from Port Coquitlam public works tries to dislodge debris from a flooded culvert as flooding from Hyde Creek spills into six homes along Coast Meridian Road, including one which doubles as a daycare.Carlos Manahan

The Editor,

"Torrential rains trigger Tri-City flooding, landslide" (tricitynews.com, Feb. 1).

The city of Port Coquitlam claims that the Hyde Creek overflow Jan. 31 was a "natural disaster" that could not have been prevented or foreseen, despite weather reports predicting record rainfall.

The fact is, the culvert running under Coast Meridian Road is not natural. It was engineered, designed and installed by the city of Port Coquitlam, and it was plugged by logs and debris.

In my opinion, the culvert is too small and should be replaced by a bridge. Nature did not make a metal culvert too small.

Port Coquitlam city staff failed to monitor the culvert knowing in advance of weather warnings, so don't tell me it's a "natural disaster."

Robert Hetzel, Port Coquitlam