A local state of emergency has been issued for the Mill Creek area of Kelowna to allow crews to bolster mitigation and protection efforts on private property.
“This is a proactive approach to preparing for the increasing flows in Mill Creek to keep our communities safe,” said a statement from the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations.
While the south Okanagan has been hardest hit by flooding so far this year, officials are urging property owners near creeks and streams in the Kelowna area to also be prepared.
The statement noted properties along Okanagan Lake are currently not at risk of flooding as the lake is not anticipated to be a concern, unlike 2017.
Okanagan Lake is currently about 60 centimetres lower than it was at this time last year, and it continues to drop by about 1.5 centimetres a day.
The problem now is the snow melt from above-normal snow basins.
“Freshet is underway with peak runoff flows from higher elevation snow melt to the valley bottom estimated to occur within the next three weeks,” said the statement.
WATCH BELOW: Snowpack in Okanagan still 150 per cent of normal
“With warmer weather being experienced and rainfall in the forecast, residents are asked to be alert and, more importantly, to prepare as these factors can affect the risk of flooding.”
In Kelowna, Mill Creek levels are being closely monitored and protection measures are being placed along the following locations by crews and the BC Wildfire Services:
- The lake up to Richter Street
- Brookside Avenue through to Lindahl Street
- Burne Avenue
- Ethel Street to Gordon Drive
Self-serve sand and sandbags are available to help residents with their flood prevention preparations.
All sand and sandbag locations in the Central Okanagan can be found at cordemergency.ca/map.
An additional sand and sandbag location has been added in Kelowna at Rowcliffe Park.
This brings the total sandbagging stations to 13 in the region.
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