Thousands of people remain out of their homes Monday as Southern B.C. braces for more flooding this week.
In Grand Forks, people are getting ready by sandbagging and making sure they are ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
“We’re looking at more devastation,” says Grand Forks Mayor Frank Konrad. “Hopefully not as severe as we would possibly anticipate. The graphs are showing different and it doesn’t look like a good outlook for the future coming up Wednesday, Thursday of this week with the hot weather.”
“But again, we have a massive massive situation here. The clean-up, which I keep emphasizing, the aftermath, is going to be much more catastrophic than the event itself.”
Konrad urges the residents who are still in their homes to obey the orders and instructions from city staff if they have to leave.
“Do not put your lives at risk,” he says. “Material items can be replaced, lives cannot.”
In the region, 3,100 people are currently out of their homes. Konrad says the rise of water and the flood is catastrophic.
“This is devastating,” Konrad said. “I’ve never experienced anything of such magnitude.”
WATCH: Aerial view of Grand Forks flooding on Monday
On Sunday, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth toured Grand Forks to see what has happened so far.
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“It’s devastating, absolutely devastating,” he said.
“It’s a nightmare, I can’t even imagine.”
WATCH: Warmer weather has BC bracing for more flooding
Farnworth says the province will be working with the affected communities to help them rebuild after the flooding subsides.
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.
Merritt
The Nicola River is also rising again, forcing more evacuations and calls for help in Merritt.
Residents worked through the day on Sunday, sandbagging in order to save the 54 homes in the Eldorado Trailer Park.
A state of emergency has been issued for the community as officials fear the river will burst its banks, putting those on the floodplain in danger.
Bracing for more
Right now, it appears the worse is not over.
Global BC meteorologist Mark Madryga says the hot weather will hold in the Southern B.C. region through Thursday and some areas may get showers or isolated thunderstorms, which will make the flooding situation worse.
The concern is that the hot weather will melt even more of the snowpack very rapidly, meaning the river levels will rise again.
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