Flooding in the B.C. Interior from rapidly melting snowpacks has washed out roads and properties, prompted local states of emergency, and caused more people to leave their homes in Oliver.
A local state of emergency was declared Friday night in the village of Cache Creek, where multiple road closures are in effect because of flooding. Cache Creek is located about 80 kilometres northwest of Kamloops, and about 340 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.
Washouts in the #CacheCreek and surrounding region have multiple highway closures in effect. The situation is dynamic and can quickly change, please remain safe and check our feed and https://t.co/MNovn62hmK for up to date information. #Kamloops #FloodWatch
— Drive BC (@DriveBC) April 28, 2018
Picture from Andrea Walker on Facebook #CacheCreek #BCFlood firehall getting it again pic.twitter.com/0EmtIcBncd
— Kamscan (@Kamscan) April 28, 2018
Tragedy struck Cache Creek last year, when the village’s fire chief was swept away by a swollen river. Clayton Cassidy is believed to have been carried away while checking on some fast-moving creeks east of the village near the Brookside Campground on May 5. He had been working with a crew to clear debris near a bridge over the roaring Cache Creek.
Also Friday night, the evacuation order in the Sportsmens Bowl area of Oliver, which was issued last weekend, had been expanded by one property.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen says the residents of 16 addresses have been told they need to leave because of flooding from Park Rill Creek.
With a dangerously high snow pack, warm temperatures and rain in the forecast, the district warned residents and visitors to stay well back from all creeks and rivers in the southern Interior.
Flash flooding, failure of slopes and debris flows can occur, the district said, making even small creeks dangerous.
Public should stay off flood protection infrastructure (sandbags, rocks, tiger dams). Please be safe around flood protection infrastructure. https://t.co/hEMQLbnBXd pic.twitter.com/tu1a83P7IG
— RDOS EOC (@EmergMgtRDOS) April 28, 2018
On Saturday, many roads in the Interior were closed because of flooding, including Highway 3A between Keremeos and Highway 97, which is closed because of a mudslide, according to Drive BC.
Highway 8 is shut down in both directions 24 kilometres west of Merritt because of a wash out, with no estimated time of reopening. In Cache Creek, the northbound lane of Highway 97 was closed at the junction with Highway 1, also because of flooding, but has since reopened.
Meantime, the District of Summerland declared a state of emergency this week, as did the Mill Creek area of Kelowna as rivers and creeks swell from the early spring runoff.
A statement from Summerland on social media says the Aeneas Creek has breached its banks, flooding some properties in the Garnet Valley area.
Authorities are concerned that as the creek level continues to rise, the flood water may impact a much larger area.
District crews and equipment will be constructing berms in the Garnet Valley area where localized flooding has occurred to divert the water back into the creek. Residents are being asked to take extra precaution around stream and waterways.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says the freshet, or spring runoff season, is underway with peak runoff flows from higher elevation snow melt to happen within the next three weeks.
With warmer weather and rainfall in the forecast, residents are asked to be alert and to prepare for possible flooding.
According to B.C.’s River Forecast Centre, a ridge of high pressure brought seasonally hot temperatures across the B.C. Interior this week, which has caused a rapid melt of snow pack.
The centre says there are high streamflow advisories in place for the Okanagan, Similkameen, Boundary, Kootenay, and Peace regions of the province.
