VANCOUVER — The worst may be over after floods and mudslides wreaked havoc in the British Columbia Interior over the weekend.
B.C.’s River Forecast Centre says water levels have been receding throughout western portions of affected areas, including the south and central Okanagan and the Kootenay and Shuswap regions.
The forecast centre is maintaining a flood watch for Salmon Creek and a high streamflow advisory across the province’s southeast.
Two people remain missing, including a 76-year-old man whose home north of Salmon Arm was engulfed in a mudslide on Saturday, and a fire chief believed to have been swept away by a swollen waterway west of Kamloops.
Several other homes were damaged and a road leading to about 100 residences was cut off by the slide in the community of Tappen.
WATCH: Other floods in the Interior of B.C.
Central Okanagan Emergency Operations officials say new evacuation orders were issued within Kelowna on Saturday, as flooding threatened 90 multi-family units, four single homes and one commercial property.
Warm temperatures speeding up the spring snowmelt and recent showers have resulted in rising water levels for many rivers and creeks.
Simon Fraser University earth sciences professor Brent Ward said it appears to be the worst flooding the province has seen since the late 1990s and if warm temperatures and rain stick around, it will delay relief for residents in flood zones.
“It depends on how rapidly the snowpack will melt which is a function of the temperature of the next little while as well as the rain,” he said.
WATCH: Cache Creek search
The City of West Kelowna declared a local state of emergency Saturday to address the flooding, and residents whose safety was at risk have been evacuated.
Ninety properties in the Fintry Delta area north of Kelowna also remain under an evacuation order due to flooding, while neighbouring residents are warned to be prepared to leave their homes on short notice if conditions worsen.
The River Forecast Centre has maintained a streamflow advisory for the south and central Interior, Boundary region and southeastern parts of the province as creek and river levels remain high.
The flooding and run-off has resulted in boil water advisories for the Westbank First Nation in Okanagan and the town of Kimberley in southeastern B.C.
DriveBC, which reports on provincial highway conditions, said sections of the Trans-Canada Highway near Salmon Arm and Glacier National Park were closed due to mudslides.
WATCH: Flooding in Kamloops and Kelowna
Highway 97A near Sicamous has re-opened to single lane alternating traffic following a mudslide while an avalanche closed Highway 99 at Duffey Lake east of Pemberton. Highway 8 west of Merritt was closed by a washout.
A statement from the provincial government on Friday warned people to stay away from river-banks and lake shorelines, not to drive through flood water and protect property in low-lying areas by clearing drains, sand bagging perimeters and removing valuables.
Ward says emergency officials have done a good job at addressing the crisis, but once the flooding clears, it may be time for communities to rethink their land use.
“The places that are flooding are on floodplains. I think people and municipalities have to start looking at how frequently do some of these areas flood and is it worth it for some of these people to be exposed to that kind of risk,” he said.