Okanagan Lake is starting to recede, but it’s still too unsafe for the owners of 200 residences on the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) to go home.
READ MORE: Flooding forces evacuations on Okanagan Indian Band
All evacuation orders on OKIB land that have been issued during this flood fight are still in place. Some homeowners have been evacuated for a month now. Not all the homes evacuated are primary residences, some are holiday homes, but the OKIB doesn’t have an exact number of how many fall into each category.
READ MORE: 220 Okanagan Indian Band properties remain evacuated
“It’s really devastating,” Robert Struthers, who owns four rental cabins on the lake, said.
Friday was the first time Struthers saw just how hard floodwaters hit the homes.
Along with water damage, spring runoff brought down an overwhelming amount of rocks, sediment and debris — so much in some spots, it’s actually filled in where the lake usually is, blocked off cabin doors, and buried deck furniture.
The OKIB is still under a state of emergency. For more information on the flood fight, visit the OKIB’s website.