Canada floods: 18,000 people still stranded in ?terrible, terrible disaster?

Emergency crews in western Canada were still trying to reach some 18,000 people stranded by landslides and struggling to find food among bare grocery store shelves after devastating flooding.

With communities in the region braced for more torrential rain in already inundated areas next week , the premier of British Columbia province declared an emergency and gave an emotional address in a press conference on Thursday.

Appearing to fight back tears, John Horgan said: "The positive I'm going to take out of this is that it had shown British Columbians coming together supporting each other.

"Canadians are supporting our province that we are one big family and absolutely that to me is something that we all instinctively know it is absolutely just a remarkable feature and facet of our communities, our people, our province and our country.

"This has been a terrible terrible disaster but I know this: As British Columbians, as Canadians, we stick together. I want to come out of this. I'm going to build a stronger better province and a stronger and better country."

One person is confirmed dead in a landslide that swept vehicles off a road near the village of Pemberton, but with many others missing - and with searchers still combing through the debris - that number is almost certain to rise.

"I am not concerned about today's rain. What I'm concerned about is next week, and what's coming," said Henry Braun, mayor of the city of Abbotsford where officials kept close watch over a pumping station. If the pumps failed, Braun warned, the results would be "catastrophic" for a community already grappling with thousands of drowned farm animals and a bill that could reach $1bn to rebuild the city.