Premier John Horgan is calling this flood season an “one in a hundred years” event, as thousands remain displaced in B.C.’s Interior.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth will be touring the damage in Grand Forks on Sunday afternoon.
WATCH: Water levels in South Okanagan predicted to peak later in the week
Firefighters have rescued more than 30 people by boat in Grand Forks, sometimes swimming through muddy and debris-laden water.
While river levels have almost returned to pre-flood levels in Grand Forks, officials are warning residents to brace for a second surge, which is expected this week as snow continues to melt at higher elevations.
“For now, the rivers are going down and we’re getting a little bit of relief,” Grand Forks Fire Department chief Dale Heriot said. “We’re getting a chance to regroup.”
Heriot asked residents to not remove any sandbags they may have set up.
“If anything, reinforce your sandbags.”
About 1,400 evacuation orders affecting an estimated 2,800 people remain in place for many parts of Kootenay Boundary.
WATCH: Globalnews.ca coverage of B.C. flooding
Chris Marsh, emergency operations centre director for the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, says three of the region’s rivers — the Granby, Kettle and West Kettle — all broke 1948 water level records by about 60 centimetres.
He’s warning people against entering the floodwaters, which contain sewage, chemicals and other contaminants.
— With files from Paul Haysom and The Canadian Press
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