A local state of emergency is in effect for the village of Cache Creek where creeks are already overflowing, sweeping through the town and damaging roads and buildings.
The flooding comes before the peak of the spring runoff, which is expected to push water levels higher over the next few weeks.
Globalnews.ca coverage of B.C. floods
“Normally what we expect to see is the flooding or the chance of flooding later in the spring, and here we are at the end of April and we’ve already had catastrophic overflow of Cache Creek, which is a tributary of the Bonaparte River,” Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta said.
Crews and volunteers are filling sandbags as fast as they can and people who live in low-lying areas are being told to be ready to leave their homes at a moment’s notice.
Keith Zabotel of the Bonaparte Indian Band notes that last year’s wildfires could be a factor in this year’s flooding.
“This year is a little larger concern than ever because of the Elephant Hill fire that happened last year,” he said. “There’s nothing really holding back the freshet or snowpack.”
— With files from Geoff Hastings
Comments