Residents along Katepwa Lake are frantically trying to rebuild berms around homes after strong winds created waves took down their sandbag piles.
James Herbel was hoping he would not have to deal with water after the berms were put in place two weeks ago around his home.
That changed Friday night, as water rushed onto his property.
“Looked out the front window and our sandbags were starting to fall off, kind of like dominos I guess, one after another,” Herbel said. “Didn’t take long and that was it.”
Around 200 feet of sandbags were washed away by waves that reached up to five feet high.
“It’s very disappointing for our people who have worked for days and days to build these berms, and watch them disappear in minutes,” District of Katepwa Mayor Fred Weekley said.
Weekley says around 15 homes were evacuated and several are under water. The situation may get worse because water levels have not peaked yet, with another four inches expected by Wednesday.
On Saturday volunteers returned to the area, filling sandbags and getting them ready to once again save the homes.
“We’re rebuilding and trying to build some more walls that are higher, just to stop the waves from coming over,” said Richard Neufeld, who came from Indian Head to lend a hand.
All the help means a lot to residents like Herbel, who is busy spending his time removing food from his freezer and moving items to higher ground.
“There’s been a lot of volunteers,” he said. “Very helpful.”
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