In pictures: British Columbia devastated by catastrophic floods

Canada’s west coast is reeling from catastrophic flooding after a major storm destroyed roads, houses and bridges in what may be the costliest natural disaster in the country’s history.

A state of emergency has been declared in British Columbia (BC) – Canada’s western-most province – in the wake of the storm.

As of Thursday night, approximately 17,000 residents were still displaced from their homes, with nearly 10,000 properties facing evacuation orders or alerts.

Local officials have warned that the price tag to rebuild could exceed C$1bn ($790m, £590m).

Authorities have confirmed that one woman was killed in a landslide, and two people are missing. Officials expect more fatalities to be confirmed in the coming days.

One man caught up in the storm told the BBC the scenes afterwards were like “Armageddon”.

Thousands of farm animals died in the flooding and more may have to be euthanised.

The flooding has caused highways to close and cut off rail access to Canada’s biggest port. The shut-downs are adding to existing supply chain disruptions. The province’s premier has urged people not to hoard supplies.

The devastating storm follows massive wildfires in the province this summer, which tore through British Columbia’s interior region and razed one small town, Lytton, to the ground.