Tseshaht First Nation has declared state of emergency and said it may issue evacuation orders as a storm batters the region, causing steadily rising rivers.
The B.C. River Forecast Centre told the nation on Thursday it is projecting that the river will continue to rise until Friday morning.
READ MORE: Wind gusts of 100 km/hr batter Vancouver Island as storm continues
Officials have activated its Emergency Operations Centre, and evacuations will begin in the afternoon.
Reports indicate that some homes have been cut off from accessing roads due to downed trees.
Environment Canada issued a wind warning for Vancouver Island and B.C.’s south coast Thursday. Forecasters are calling for winds from 70 to 90 kilometres-per-hour with wind gusts.
More to come.